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The Furnace
The Furnace

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Furnace is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Furnace
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?
Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?
Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?
Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?
WALT WHITMAN.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Furnace

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Furnace is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?
Line 2
Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?
/ɔːr men ənd ˈwɪmən ðæt ðeɪ maɪt biː ˈrɪtən ʌv ənd sɔːŋz sʌŋ/
Line 3
Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?
/ɔːr ðə əˈtrækʃən ʌv ˈɡrævəti ənd ðə ɡreɪt lɔːz ənd hɑːrˈmoʊniəs ˌkɑːmbəˈneɪʃənz ənd ðə ˈfluːədz ʌv ðə er æz ˈsʌbdʒɪkts fɔːr ðə ˈsævənts/
Line 4
Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?
/ɔːr ðə braʊn lænd ənd ðə bluː siː fɔːr mæps ənd tʃɑːrts/
Line 5
WALT WHITMAN.

Learner Dictionary

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.

charts noun US /tʃɑːrts/

plural of “chart” — a visual display of information

From this reading “Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?”

combinations noun US /ˌkɑːmbəˈneɪʃənz/

plural of “combination” — a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities

From this reading “Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?”

fluids noun US /ˈfluːədz/

plural of “fluid” — a substance that is fluid at room temperature and pressure

From this reading “Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?”

harmonious adjective US /hɑːrˈmoʊniəs/

musically pleasing

From this reading “Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?”

maps noun US /mæps/

plural of “map” — a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it)

From this reading “Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?”

reckoned verb US /ˈrekənd/

past form of “reckon” — expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading “THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?”

savants noun US /ˈsævənts/

plural of “savant” — someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field

From this reading “Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?”

whitman noun US /ˈwɪtmən/

United States poet who celebrated the greatness of America (1819-1892)

From this reading “WALT WHITMAN.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

songs sung noun + noun counted as “song sung”

In this reading “Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?”

blue sea adjective + noun

In this reading “Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

attractionnounUS /əˈtrækʃən/

the force by which one object attracts another

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?

chartsnounUS /tʃɑːrts/

plural of “chart” — a visual display of information

From this reading Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?

combinationsnounUS /ˌkɑːmbəˈneɪʃənz/

plural of “combination” — a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

fluidsnounUS /ˈfluːədz/

plural of “fluid” — a substance that is fluid at room temperature and pressure

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

gravitynounUS /ˈɡrævəti/

(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

harmoniousadjectiveUS /hɑːrˈmoʊniəs/

musically pleasing

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

IMPRESSION-SEEKER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?

landscapenounUS /ˈlændskeɪp/

an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

lawsnounUS /lɔːz/

the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

mapsnounUS /mæps/

plural of “map” — a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it)

From this reading Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

OrconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

paintedadjectiveUS /ˈpeɪntɪd/

coated with paint

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

picturenounUS /ˈpɪktʃər/

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

reckonedverbUS /ˈrekənd/

past form of “reckon” — expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

savantsnounUS /ˈsævənts/

plural of “savant” — someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

seanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Or the brown land and the blue sea for maps and charts?

songsnounUS /sɔːŋz/

plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

subjectsnounUS /ˈsʌbdʒɪkts/

plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

From this reading Or the attraction of gravity and the great laws and harmonious combinations and the fluids of the air as subjects for the savants?

substancenounUS /ˈsʌbstəns/

the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

sungnounUS /sʌŋ/

the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

WALT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WALT WHITMAN.

WHITMANnounUS /ˈwɪtmən/

United States poet who celebrated the greatness of America (1819-1892)

From this reading WALT WHITMAN.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading Or men and women that they might be written of, and songs sung?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading THE IMPRESSION-SEEKER Have you reckoned the landscape took substance and form that it might be painted in a picture?

Chapter 2 of The Furnace by Rose Macaulay holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Furnace contain?

Chapter 2 holds 183 sentences of The Furnace, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Furnace by Rose Macaulay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Furnace?

Work through the 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 37 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Furnace

Common questions about reading The Furnace by Rose Macaulay on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Furnace?

Yes. All 2433 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Furnace is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Furnace take to read?

About 202 minutes of reading across 487 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Furnace section by section

How to work through The Furnace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Furnace to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Furnace

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Furnace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Other
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Citizens
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Santa
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Caterina
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.