Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Heritage
The Heritage

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Heritage is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Heritage
Context Illustration Reading 1/45 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
PRACTICAL POLITICS.
It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?
I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”
The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.
It is you, Wylie, after all.
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 Heritage

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Heritage is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
PRACTICAL POLITICS.
/ˈpræktəkəl ˈpɑːlətɪks/
Line 2
It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?
Line 3
I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”
Line 4
The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.
Line 5
It is you, Wylie, after all.
/ɪt ɪz juː ˈwaɪli ˈæftər ɔːl/

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.

boyish adjective US /ˈbɔɪɪʃ/

befitting or characteristic of a young boy

From this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

complexion noun US /kəmˈplekʃən/

the coloring of a person's face

From this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

leaden adjective US /ˈledən/

darkened with overcast

From this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

peculiarly adverb US /pɪˈkjuːljərli/

uniquely or characteristically

From this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

reassured adjective US /ˌriːəˈʃʊrd/

having confidence restored; freed from anxiety

From this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

speaker's noun US /ˈspiːkərz/

possessive form of “speaker” — someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

sunken adjective US /ˈsʌŋkən/

having a sunken area

From this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

Wylie noun US /ˈwaɪli/

United States poet (1885-1928)

From this reading ““It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?”

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.

PRACTICAL POLITICS adjective + noun

politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations

In this reading “PRACTICAL POLITICS.”

grey hair adjective + noun

In this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

sunken eyes adjective + noun

In this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

hollow cheeks adjective + noun counted as “hollow cheek”

In this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “It is you, Wylie, after all.

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 “It is you, Wylie, after all.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

begverbUS /beɡ/

call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

boyishadjectiveUS /ˈbɔɪɪʃ/

befitting or characteristic of a young boy

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

cheeksnounUS /tʃiːks/

plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

ColonelnounUS /ˈkɜːrnəl/

a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general

From this reading “It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?

complexionnounUS /kəmˈplekʃən/

the coloring of a person's face

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

contrastnounUS /ˈkɑːntræst/

the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

doubtfuladjectiveUS /ˈdaʊtfəl/

open to doubt or suspicion

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

fellow-passenger

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

greyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

hollowadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːloʊ/

not solid; having a space or gap or cavity

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

I've

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

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?

isn't

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

From this reading “It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?

leadenadjectiveUS /ˈledən/

darkened with overcast

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

mistakenounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

pardonverbUS /ˈpɑːrdən/

accept an excuse for

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

peculiarlyadverbUS /pɪˈkjuːljərli/

uniquely or characteristically

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

POLITICSnounUS /ˈpɑːlətɪks/

social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power

From this reading PRACTICAL POLITICS.

PRACTICALadjectiveUS /ˈpræktəkəl/

concerned with actual use or practice

From this reading PRACTICAL POLITICS.

reassuredadjectiveUS /ˌriːəˈʃʊrd/

having confidence restored; freed from anxiety

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

speaker'snounUS /ˈspiːkərz/

possessive form of “speaker” — someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

sunkenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌŋkən/

having a sunken area

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

tonesnounUS /toʊnz/

plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the leaden complexion, reassured him.

WylienounUS /ˈwaɪli/

United States poet (1885-1928)

From this reading “It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “It is you, Wylie, after all.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve made a mistake.”

Chapter 2 of The Heritage by Sydney C. Grier holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 Heritage contain?

Chapter 2 holds 225 sentences of The Heritage, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Heritage by Sydney C. Grier exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 Heritage?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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 Heritage

Common questions about reading The Heritage by Sydney C. Grier on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Heritage?

Yes. All 5544 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66794 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Heritage is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #66794, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Heritage take to read?

About 462 minutes of reading across 1109 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Heritage section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Heritage 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 Heritage

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

Sydney
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heritage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grier
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heritage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heritage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Uncrowned
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heritage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.