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The Crisis — Volume 08
The Crisis — Volume 08

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Crisis — Volume 08 is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/60 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.
DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.
It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.
And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.
The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.
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Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Crisis — Volume 08

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Crisis — Volume 08 is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.
Line 2
DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.
/dɪr ˈmʌðər aɪ ərˈaɪvd hiːr ˈseɪfli ðə deɪ bɪˈfɔːr ˈjestərdeɪ ənd aɪ hoʊp ðæt juː wɪl suːn rəˈsiːv sʌm ʌv ðə ˈletərz aɪ ˈfɔːrwərdɪd ɑːn ðæt deɪ/
Line 3
It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.
/ɪt ɪz æn ˌekstrəˈɔːrdəneri pleɪs ðɪs ˈsɪti pɔɪnt ə ˈmɪləteri ˈsɪti sprʌŋ ʌp laɪk ə ˈmʌʃruːm ɪn ə ˈwɪntər/
Line 4
And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.
Line 5
The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

Learner Dictionary

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.

forwarded verb US /ˈfɔːrwərdɪd/

past form of “forward” — send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit

From this reading “DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.”

headquarters noun US /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/

(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise

From this reading “THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.”

helps noun US /helps/

plural of “help” — the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

From this reading “The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.”

maze noun US /meɪz/

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

From this reading “The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.”

mushroom noun US /ˈmʌʃruːm/

common name for an edible agaric (contrasting with the inedible toadstool)

From this reading “It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.”

prosperous adjective US /ˈprɑːspərəs/

in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich

From this reading “The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.”

rigging noun US /ˈrɪɡɪŋ/

gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails

From this reading “The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.”

seaport noun US /ˈsiːpɔːrt/

a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo

From this reading “The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.”

All words in this reading · 74

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.

1865

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

28

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

Appomattox

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

ARMIESnounUS /ˈɑːrmiz/

plural of “army” — a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

baynounUS /beɪ/

an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

CITYnounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

CONTINUEDadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

extraordinaryadjectiveUS /ˌekstrəˈɔːrdəneri/

beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

forwardedverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərdɪd/

past form of “forward” — send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

harborverbUS /ˈhɑːrbər/

maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

HEADQUARTERSnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/

(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

helpsnounUS /helps/

plural of “help” — the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

MarchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

mazenounUS /meɪz/

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

militaryadjectiveUS /ˈmɪləteri/

of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

MOTHERnounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

mushroomnounUS /ˈmʌʃruːm/

common name for an edible agaric (contrasting with the inedible toadstool)

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

POINTnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

prosperousadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːspərəs/

in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

receiveverbUS /rəˈsiːv/

get something; come into possession of

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

riggingnounUS /ˈrɪɡɪŋ/

gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

safelyadverbUS /ˈseɪfli/

with safety; in a safe manner

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

SAMEadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

seaportnounUS /ˈsiːpɔːrt/

a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

smoke-pipes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

sprungverbUS /sprʌŋ/

inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

STATESnounUS /steɪts/

plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

table-land

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

UNITEDadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/

characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

VIRGINIAnounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/

a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War

From this reading THE SAME, CONTINUED HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, March 28, 1865.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading And my breath was quite taken away when I first caught sight of it on the high table-land.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The great bay in front of it, which the Appomattox helps to make, is a maze of rigging and smoke-pipes, like the harbor of a prosperous seaport.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

winternounUS /ˈwɪntər/

the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox

From this reading It is an extraordinary place, this City Point; a military city sprung up like a mushroom in a winter.

yesterdaynounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/

the day immediately before today

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading DEAR MOTHER: I arrived here safely the day before yesterday, and I hope that you will soon receive some of the letters I forwarded on that day.

Chapter 2 of The Crisis — Volume 08 by Winston Churchill holds 302 sentences, grouped into 61 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Crisis — Volume 08 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 302 sentences of The Crisis — Volume 08, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Crisis — Volume 08 by Winston Churchill exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Crisis — Volume 08?

Work through the 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 61 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Crisis — Volume 08

Common questions about reading The Crisis — Volume 08 by Winston Churchill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Crisis — Volume 08?

Yes. All 1113 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5395 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Crisis — Volume 08 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5395, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Crisis — Volume 08 take to read?

About 92 minutes of reading across 223 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Crisis — Volume 08

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Crisis — Volume 08, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Staff
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Crisis — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
General
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Crisis — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sherman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Crisis — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
March
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Crisis — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.