Chapter 2 of The end of the house of Alard is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The end of the house of Alard is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter. “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly. “Jenny was talking to me about it last night. She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....” “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
Chapter 2 of The end of the house of Alard is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
with brightness
From this reading ““Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading ““You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.”
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading ““Jenny was talking to me about it last night.”
plural of “mortgage” — a conditional conveyance of property as security for the repayment of a loan
From this reading “She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....””
plural of “pauper” — a person who is very poor
From this reading ““You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.”
yielding a fair profit
From this reading “She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....””
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading “She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....””
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading “She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....””
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 ““Jenny was talking to me about it last night.”
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 says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
with brightness
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
immediately past
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
plural of “mortgage” — a conditional conveyance of property as security for the repayment of a loan
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
and nothing more
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
plural of “pauper” — a person who is very poor
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
yielding a fair profit
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
a special situation
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Jenny was talking to me about it last night.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, so we are, aren’t we?” said Gervase brightly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading She says we pay thousands a year in interest on mortgages, and as for paying them off and selling the land, which is the only thing that can help us....”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You talk as if we were paupers,” growled Peter.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I don’t see that it’s your job, anyway.”
Chapter 2 of The end of the house of Alard by Sheila Kaye-Smith holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The end of the house of Alard, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The end of the house of Alard by Sheila Kaye-Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 end of the house of Alard by Sheila Kaye-Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The end of the house of Alard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The end of the house of Alard 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 end of the house of Alard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
