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The Guardian Angel
The Guardian Angel

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Guardian Angel is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Guardian Angel
Context Illustration Reading 22/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.
Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.
What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.
How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?
Have they fired cannon?
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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 Guardian Angel

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Guardian Angel is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 22/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 106–110

Line 1
The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.
Line 2
Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.
Line 3
What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.
Line 4
How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?
Line 5
Have they fired cannon?
/hæv ðeɪ ˈfaɪərd ˈkænən/

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.

agree verb US /əˈɡriː/

be in accord; be in agreement

From this reading “The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.”

cannon noun US /ˈkænən/

a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels

From this reading “Have they fired cannon?”

County noun US /ˈkaʊnti/

(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government

From this reading “The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.”

David noun US /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading “Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.”

fired adjective US /ˈfaɪərd/

having lost your job

From this reading “Have they fired cannon?”

jest noun US /dʒest/

a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

From this reading “What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.”

Judith noun US /ˈdʒuːdəθ/

Jewish heroine in one of the books of the Apocrypha; she saved her people by decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes

From this reading “The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.”

Withers noun US /ˈwɪðərz/

the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals

From this reading “Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

agreeverbUS /əˈɡriː/

be in accord; be in agreement

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

beautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

cannonnounUS /ˈkænən/

a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels

From this reading Have they fired cannon?

CountynounUS /ˈkaʊnti/

(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

Cynthy

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

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

dnounUS /diː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

DavidnounUS /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

findin

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

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/

having lost your job

From this reading Have they fired cannon?

folksnounUS /foʊks/

your parents

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

great-grandma

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

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

handsomest

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Have they fired cannon?

heerd

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

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

How

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

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

jestnounUS /dʒest/

a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

JudithnounUS /ˈdʒuːdəθ/

Jewish heroine in one of the books of the Apocrypha; she saved her people by decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

marriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/

joined in matrimony

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

n't

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

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

onounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

PridenounUS /praɪd/

a feeling of self-respect and personal worth

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

s'ence

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

tellin

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

what's

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

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading What I want to know is, whether anything has been heerd, and jest what's been done about findin' the poor thing.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

WithersnounUS /ˈwɪðərz/

the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

ynounUS /waɪ/

a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys

From this reading Her great-grandma, y' know, Miss Cynthy, married old King David Withers.

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading How d' ye know she has n't fell into the river?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading The handsomest young woman, too, as all the old folks will agree in tellin' you, s'ence the time o' Judith Pride that was,--the Pride of the County they used to call her, for her beauty.

Chapter 2 of The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 Guardian Angel contain?

Chapter 2 holds 158 sentences of The Guardian Angel, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 Guardian Angel?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 Guardian Angel

Common questions about reading The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Guardian Angel?

Yes. All 5333 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Guardian Angel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2697, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Guardian Angel take to read?

About 444 minutes of reading across 1067 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Guardian Angel section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Guardian Angel 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 Guardian Angel

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

Saturday
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Guardian Angel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
State
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Guardian Angel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Banner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Guardian Angel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Delphian
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Guardian Angel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.