Chapter 2 of The Curved Blades is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Curved Blades is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No! I will put them in the safe myself. Where is the key?" "There, mademoiselle, on your dresser. But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
Chapter 2 of The Curved Blades is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
any thing at all
From this reading “But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!”
furniture with drawers for keeping clothes
From this reading “"There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.”
apart from; not including
From this reading “But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “Where is the key?"”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “"There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.”
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “I will put them in the safe myself.”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “I will put them in the safe myself.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
any thing at all
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
furniture with drawers for keeping clothes
From this reading "There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.
apart from; not including
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Where is the key?"
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading Where is the key?"
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading "There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
not any; not one
From this reading "No!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
in or at the place that
From this reading Where is the key?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will put them in the safe myself.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But if I might----" "You mayn't do anything except to get out and stay out!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "There, mademoiselle, on your dresser.
Chapter 2 of The Curved Blades by Carolyn Wells holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The Curved Blades, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Curved Blades by Carolyn Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Curved Blades by Carolyn Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45622 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45622, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1021 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Curved Blades section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Curved Blades 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 Curved Blades, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
