Chapter 2 of The House by the River is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The House by the River is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Shut up, you little fool," he said. "I shan't hurt you." But Emily's nerve had gone. She opened her mouth to scream again. Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
Chapter 2 of The House by the River is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “"Shut up, you little fool," he said.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “"I shan't hurt you."”
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading “Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.”
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading “But Emily's nerve had gone.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “She opened her mouth to scream again.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “"Shut up, you little fool," he said.”
possessive form of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading “Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.”
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.
refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent
In this reading “"Shut up, you little fool," he said.”
In this reading “Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.”
In this reading “Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
anew
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Emily's nerve had gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Emily's nerve had gone.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
destroyed or killed
From this reading But Emily's nerve had gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Emily's nerve had gone.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
be the source of pain
From this reading "I shan't hurt you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shan't hurt you."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading But Emily's nerve had gone.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I shan't hurt you."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
possessive form of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She opened her mouth to scream again.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Stephen's hands tightened about the neck and the scream was never heard.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Shut up, you little fool," he said.
Chapter 2 of The House by the River by A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of The House by the River, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The House by the River by A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 House by the River by A. P. (Alan Patrick) Herbert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3689 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41791 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41791, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 307 minutes of reading across 738 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House by the River section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The House by the River 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 House by the River, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
