Chapter 2 of The Flight of the Shadow is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Flight of the Shadow is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MY UNCLE. Now I must tell you what my uncle was like. The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was. The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked. It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
Chapter 2 of The Flight of the Shadow is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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 natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.”
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading “The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked.”
only a very short time before
From this reading “It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.”
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading “The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “MY UNCLE.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY UNCLE.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked.
only a very short time before
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading The next thing would have been, how he stooped; and the next, how sad he looked.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
express in words
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
a special situation
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It scarcely seemed that Martha Moon had been able to do much for him.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading MY UNCLE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The first thing that struck you about him would have been, how tall and thin he was.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now I must tell you what my uncle was like.
Chapter 2 of The Flight of the Shadow by George MacDonald holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 53 sentences of The Flight of the Shadow, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Flight of the Shadow by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 Flight of the Shadow by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8902 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8902, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flight of the Shadow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Flight of the Shadow 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 Flight of the Shadow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
