Chapter 2 of The colonel's daughter is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The colonel's daughter is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Sergeant-Major!” “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway. “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?” “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.” The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
Chapter 2 of The colonel's daughter is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
plural of “clip” — a metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun
From this reading “The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.”
(of land or soil) used for growing crops
From this reading “The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.”
possessive form of “mail” — the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading ““Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.”
a town in central Arizona
From this reading ““That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?””
uttering in an irritated tone
From this reading ““Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.”
plural of “trip” — a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading ““Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.””
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading “The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.”
In this reading ““Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.”
In this reading ““Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.””
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
anew
From this reading “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
plural of “clip” — a metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
(of land or soil) used for growing crops
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
immediately past
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?”
possessive form of “mail” — the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?”
not any; not one
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
a town in central Arizona
From this reading “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?”
uttering in an irritated tone
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
make short successive sounds
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sergeant-Major!”
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
(of persons) befitting a warrior
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Sir-r-r!” and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a soldierly form in the doorway.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That Prescott mail’s late again to-day?”
plural of “trip” — a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his cropped hair and uses no superfluities.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir; been late every time last three trips.”
Chapter 2 of The colonel's daughter by Charles King holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 158 sentences of The colonel's daughter, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The colonel's daughter by Charles King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The colonel's daughter by Charles King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76813 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76813, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The colonel's daughter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The colonel's daughter to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The colonel's daughter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
