Chapter 2 of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?" Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded. The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently. Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air. The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
Chapter 2 of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a song of devotion or loyalty (as to a nation or school)
From this reading “The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.”
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading “Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.”
possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.”
United States poet (1928-1974)
From this reading “The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.”
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading “"They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"”
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading “The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.”
disregarded
From this reading “Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.”
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.”
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 Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
a song of devotion or loyalty (as to a nation or school)
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
in a gradual manner
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
a brief written record
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
United States poet (1928-1974)
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The old sexton of St. Paul's was preparing his metal children for their long anthem.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then the faint note of a bell drifted on the air.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They kissed in the shrubbery--My niece in love?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
disregarded
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The faded leaves of the one flower in her heart were stirring gently.
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading Miss Julie was whispering to herself unheeded.
Chapter 2 of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors by Weymer Jay Mills holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors by Weymer Jay Mills exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Ghosts of Their Ancestors by Weymer Jay Mills on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 812 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36991 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36991, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 67 minutes of reading across 163 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ghosts of Their Ancestors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Ghosts of Their Ancestors 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 Ghosts of Their Ancestors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
