Chapter 2 of The Face and the Mask is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Face and the Mask is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was. "I don't know. I am at least alive." The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes. Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
Chapter 2 of The Face and the Mask is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “I am at least alive."”
put or send forth
From this reading “The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.”
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading “A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “Her lips moved, but she said nothing.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “Her lips moved, but she said nothing.”
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading “A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.”
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 A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
possessing life
From this reading I am at least alive."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am at least alive."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I am at least alive."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
put or send forth
From this reading The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading I am at least alive."
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
without a sound
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The nurse sighed, and cast down her eyes.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A door opened noiselessly, and, before he knew of anyone's entrance, a placid-faced nurse stood by his bed and asked him how he was.
Chapter 2 of The Face and the Mask by Robert Barr holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of The Face and the Mask, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Face and the Mask by Robert Barr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Face and the Mask by Robert Barr on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4711 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 943 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Face and the Mask section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Face and the Mask 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 Face and the Mask, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
