Chapter 2 of The Feather is here in full — 413 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 Feather is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done. If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’ ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’ (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night? It sounds funny.
Chapter 2 of The Feather is here in full — 413 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.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading “‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.”
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “It sounds funny.”
easily agitated
From this reading “If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading “(‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?”
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “It sounds funny.”
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “(‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of 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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading It sounds funny.
the act of departing
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
engage in
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
easily agitated
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
and nothing more
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading It sounds funny.
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
express in words
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
precisely as stated
From this reading ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
(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 ‘Very well,’ said Treblo; ‘at half-past twelve.’
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
used to ask for information about something
From this reading (‘Half-past twelve,’ thought the Princess; ‘what on earth is he going to do at that time of night?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘We’ll have everything ready, and it will be easily done.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If I were you I wouldn’t tell the King or Queen, it would only make them nervous, and we’re sure to succeed.’
Chapter 2 of The Feather by Ford Madox Ford holds 413 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 413 sentences of The Feather, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Feather by Ford Madox Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 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 Feather by Ford Madox Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2038 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50658 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50658, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Feather section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Feather 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 Feather, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
