Chapter 2 of The Fortunate Youth is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Fortunate Youth is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August. It was not dramatic. It was merely casual. They laid the scene in the brickfield. It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
Chapter 2 of The Fortunate Youth is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
possessive form of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.”
marked by blithe unconcern
From this reading “It was merely casual.”
the distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them
From this reading “It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.”
suitable to or characteristic of drama
From this reading “It was not dramatic.”
plural of “fate” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.”
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading “It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.”
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading “It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.”
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 THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
possessive form of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
a place where bricks are made and sold
From this reading They laid the scene in the brickfield.
marked by blithe unconcern
From this reading It was merely casual.
the distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
suitable to or characteristic of drama
From this reading It was not dramatic.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
plural of “fate” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not dramatic.
set down according to a plan
From this reading They laid the scene in the brickfield.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
and nothing more
From this reading It was merely casual.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not dramatic.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading They laid the scene in the brickfield.
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE Fates arranged Barney Bill's entrance late on a Saturday afternoon in August.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It had rained all day, and now there was sullen clearance.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They laid the scene in the brickfield.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not dramatic.
Chapter 2 of The Fortunate Youth by William John Locke holds 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 368 sentences of The Fortunate Youth, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Fortunate Youth by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 Fortunate Youth by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7071 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4379 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4379, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 589 minutes of reading across 1415 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fortunate Youth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Fortunate Youth 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 Fortunate Youth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
