Chapter 2 of The Conjure Woman is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Conjure Woman is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson. 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me. Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?' "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum. My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
Chapter 2 of The Conjure Woman is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading “"'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.”
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading “My head is all kin' er mix' up.'”
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading “"'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.”
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading “"'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.”
mix together different elements
From this reading “My head is all kin' er mix' up.'”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “"'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.”
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading “'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?'
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.
half the width of an em
From this reading Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?'
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
From this reading My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?'
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?'
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.
mix together different elements
From this reading My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I dunno my name,' sez de nigger, 'en I doan 'member whar I come fum.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading My head is all kin' er mix' up.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading 'You wants ter be pa'tic'lar how you talks ter me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, w'at is yo' name, en whar did you come fum?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'Did I ax you w'at yo' name wa'n't?' sez Mars Johnson.
Chapter 2 of The Conjure Woman by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt holds 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 456 sentences of The Conjure Woman, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Conjure Woman by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Conjure Woman by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2259 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11666 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11666, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 188 minutes of reading across 452 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Conjure Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Conjure Woman 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 Conjure Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
