Chapter 2 of The Kentons is here in full — 178 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 Kentons is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What does she say?" the judge demanded. "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted. "She thinks she ought to see him." "Very well, then. We will go to Europe."
Chapter 2 of The Kentons is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"What does she say?" the judge demanded.”
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading “We will go to Europe."”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “"What does she say?" the judge demanded.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “"She thinks she ought to see him."”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “"What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.”
express a supposition
From this reading “"What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “"She thinks she ought to see him."”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “"What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.”
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.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading We will go to Europe."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading We will go to Europe."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "She thinks she ought to see him."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "She thinks she ought to see him."
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.
express in words
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "She thinks she ought to see him."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
express a supposition
From this reading "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Very well, then.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading "She thinks she ought to see him."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "She thinks she ought to see him."
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well, then.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We will go to Europe."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well, then.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What does she say?" the judge demanded.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading We will go to Europe."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you suppose?" his wife retorted.
Chapter 2 of The Kentons by William Dean Howells holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 178 sentences of The Kentons, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Kentons by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 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 Kentons by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3362, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 373 minutes of reading across 897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Kentons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Kentons 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 Kentons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
