Chapter 2 of The Holly-Tree is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Holly-Tree is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal. I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window. Here I was driven back by stress of weather. Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn. It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.
Chapter 2 of The Holly-Tree is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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 hilly county in southwestern England
From this reading “It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.”
causing dejection
From this reading “The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.”
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading “I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.”
traveling or passing over land
From this reading “I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.”
past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
From this reading “I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.”
superlative of “remote” — located far away spatially
From this reading “It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.”
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading “I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.”
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading “Here I was driven back by stress of weather.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
a hilly county in southwestern England
From this reading It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.
causing dejection
From this reading The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
on one occasion
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
traveling or passing over land
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.
past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
on the contrary
From this reading The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.
superlative of “remote” — located far away spatially
From this reading It was in the remotest part of Cornwall.
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Holly-Tree was getting rather dismal.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Here I was driven back by stress of weather.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading I made an overland expedition beyond the screen, and penetrated as far as the fourth window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Arrived at my winter-quarters once more, I made up the fire, and took another Inn.
Chapter 2 of The Holly-Tree by Charles Dickens holds 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 180 sentences of The Holly-Tree, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Holly-Tree by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Holly-Tree by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 552 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1394 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1394, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 46 minutes of reading across 111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Holly-Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Holly-Tree 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 Holly-Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
