Chapter 2 of The First Distiller is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The First Distiller is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WIFE. What's the matter? Why are you kicking up such a row? PEASANT. You just taste what we've been distilling.
Chapter 2 of The First Distiller is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You just taste what we've been distilling.”
inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading “You just taste what we've been distilling.”
a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics
From this reading “Why are you kicking up such a row?”
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “What's the matter?”
a country person
From this reading “PEASANT.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Why are you kicking up such a row?”
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading “You just taste what we've been distilling.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “WIFE.”
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.
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 Why are you kicking up such a row?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading You just taste what we've been distilling.
inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading You just taste what we've been distilling.
and nothing more
From this reading You just taste what we've been distilling.
a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading What's the matter?
a country person
From this reading PEASANT.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading You just taste what we've been distilling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What's the matter?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You just taste what we've been distilling.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You just taste what we've been distilling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's the matter?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading WIFE.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why are you kicking up such a row?
Chapter 2 of The First Distiller by Leo, graf Tolstoy holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of The First Distiller, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The First Distiller by Leo, graf Tolstoy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 First Distiller by Leo, graf Tolstoy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26662 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26662, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 71 minutes of reading across 171 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First Distiller section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The First Distiller 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 First Distiller, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
