Chapter 2 of The Letter of the Contract is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Letter of the Contract is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm not trying to. I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you." "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?" Her forlorn smile made his heart ache. "I _did_ think so.
Chapter 2 of The Letter of the Contract is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
feel physical pain
From this reading “Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “"But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"”
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading “Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.”
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “"But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."”
hard to endure
From this reading “"I'm not trying to.”
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.
feel physical pain
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I _did_ think so.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not trying to.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
the force of workers available
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm not trying to.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
and nothing more
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Her forlorn smile made his heart ache.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I _did_ think so.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "But, good Lord, Edith, you don't think I've been better than any one else, do you?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm not trying to.
hard to endure
From this reading "I'm not trying to.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I wasn't thinking of men in general; I was thinking only of you."
Chapter 2 of The Letter of the Contract by Basil King holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Letter of the Contract, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Letter of the Contract by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Letter of the Contract by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2791 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 232 minutes of reading across 559 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Letter of the Contract section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Letter of the Contract 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 Letter of the Contract, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
