Chapter 2 of The Curate in Charge is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Curate in Charge is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR. ST. JOHN. The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved. With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
Chapter 2 of The Curate in Charge is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 “connection” — a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading “With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.”
act of transferring property title from one person to another
From this reading “The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.”
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.”
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading “THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.”
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading “The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.”
in or to any place at all
From this reading “The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.”
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 “The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.”
In this reading “THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.”
In this reading “With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.”
In this reading “With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.”
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 The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
plural of “connection” — a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
act of transferring property title from one person to another
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
a social unit living together
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading JOHN.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
a form of address for a man
From this reading THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ST.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MR.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
connected by blood or close acquaintance with people of wealth or social position
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
in or to any place at all
From this reading The Reverend Cecil St. John started in life, not so much under a false impression himself, as conveying one right and left wherever he moved.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With such a name it seemed certain that he must be a man of good family, well-connected to the highest level of good connections; but he was not.
Chapter 2 of The Curate in Charge by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 134 sentences of The Curate in Charge, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Curate in Charge by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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.
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About 345 minutes of reading across 829 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Curate in Charge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
