Chapter 2 of The Dweller on the Threshold is here in full — 410 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 Dweller on the Threshold is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Almost brusquely she interrupted him. She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself. "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course. So glad you liked it. But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
Chapter 2 of The Dweller on the Threshold is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading “Almost brusquely she interrupted him.”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.”
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading “She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.”
discontinued temporarily
From this reading “Almost brusquely she interrupted him.”
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading “So glad you liked it.”
easily agitated
From this reading “She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.”
deliver a sermon
From this reading “But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."”
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 She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Almost brusquely she interrupted him.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading Almost brusquely she interrupted him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
a state at a particular time
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
power to direct or determine
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading So glad you liked it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Almost brusquely she interrupted him.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading Almost brusquely she interrupted him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So glad you liked it.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading So glad you liked it.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
easily agitated
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
deliver a sermon
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
express in words
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
only a very short time before
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Almost brusquely she interrupted him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So glad you liked it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was obviously in a highly nervous condition; and scarcely able to control herself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what I want to say is that you haven't heard my husband preach this morning."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, yes, our music is always good, of course.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading So glad you liked it.
Chapter 2 of The Dweller on the Threshold by Robert Hichens holds 410 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 410 sentences of The Dweller on the Threshold, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Dweller on the Threshold by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 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 Dweller on the Threshold by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14176 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14176, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dweller on the Threshold section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Dweller on the Threshold 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 Dweller on the Threshold, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
