Chapter 2 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed: “You rang, sir?” He scarcely breathed the words. In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King. He might have said, “Sire.”
Chapter 2 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 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.
uttered without voice
From this reading “He scarcely breathed the words.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.”
a disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride
From this reading “In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.”
wearing livery
From this reading “The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading ““You rang, sir?””
submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
From this reading “In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.”
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading “He might have said, “Sire.””
impressive in appearance
From this reading “The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:”
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 “He scarcely breathed the words.”
In this reading “In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.”
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 The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
uttered without voice
From this reading He scarcely breathed the words.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
a male servant (especially a footman)
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He might have said, “Sire.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He scarcely breathed the words.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
a disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
a room where books are kept
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
wearing livery
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He might have said, “Sire.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “You rang, sir?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He might have said, “Sire.”
only a very short time before
From this reading He scarcely breathed the words.
submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
term of address for a man
From this reading “You rang, sir?”
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading He might have said, “Sire.”
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
impressive in appearance
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The liveried flunkey entered the stately library and bowed:
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading In every tone spoke the old servile humility of the creature in the presence of his creator the King.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He scarcely breathed the words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You rang, sir?”
Chapter 2 of The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 130 sentences of The Fall of a Nation, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 999 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fall of a Nation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Fall of a Nation 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 Fall of a Nation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
