Chapter 2 of The Colonists is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Colonists is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter. He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly. "Yes, I'll go through with it. I think it's what I want." * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
Chapter 2 of The Colonists is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.”
comparative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “* * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “* * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.”
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 “He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.”
In this reading “He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.”
undergo or live through a difficult experience
In this reading “"Yes, I'll go through with it.”
In this reading “* * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.”
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 He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
Having no one else present.
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
comparative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Yes, I'll go through with it.
destroyed or killed
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think it's what I want."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, I'll go through with it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, I'll go through with it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think it's what I want."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think it's what I want."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Yes, I'll go through with it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took a deep breath as he nodded slowly.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I think it's what I want."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I think it's what I want."
at the time that
From this reading * * * * * When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gone home.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Yes, I'll go through with it.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I'll go through with it.
Chapter 2 of The Colonists by Raymond F. Jones holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The Colonists, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Colonists by Raymond F. Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Colonists by Raymond F. Jones on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1239 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32687 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32687, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 103 minutes of reading across 248 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Colonists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Colonists 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 Colonists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
