Chapter 2 of The island is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The island is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FURTHER AFIELD. London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself. I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface. The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience. This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
Chapter 2 of The island is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
far away from home or one's usual surroundings
From this reading “FURTHER AFIELD.”
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading “The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.”
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading “London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.”
a quick look
From this reading “This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.”
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading “The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.”
French general who became emperor of the French (1769-1821)
From this reading “The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.”
a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
From this reading “The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.”
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.
In this reading “I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.”
In this reading “London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.”
In this reading “I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.”
In this reading “London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.”
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 This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
far away from home or one's usual surroundings
From this reading FURTHER AFIELD.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
set up or found
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading FURTHER AFIELD.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
a quick look
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
destroyed or killed
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
French general who became emperor of the French (1769-1821)
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading This time I found a guide of another kind, and he gave me a glimpse of the real show.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The tomb of Napoleon, and the view from the Arch (see Guide) were about the measure of my experience.
in the company of; together with
From this reading London was now quite out of the question: Paris compelled me to be so busy with itself.
a late time of life
From this reading I had not seen it for years, and had never gone below the surface.
Chapter 2 of The island by Richard Whiteing holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 215 sentences of The island, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The island by Richard Whiteing exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 island by Richard Whiteing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3120 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73620 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73620, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The island 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 island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
