The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Henry James • Curated US English Learning Edition

Chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) by Henry James holds 387 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) contain?

Chapter 2 holds 387 sentences of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I), unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)?

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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)

Common questions about reading The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)?

Yes. All 5683 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38776 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38776, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) take to read?

About 473 minutes of reading across 1137 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Letters: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Alice: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
James: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mother: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Cover illustration for The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Your H.

_To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

My dearest Mother, ...This will have been my fifth weekly bundle since my arrival, and I can't promise--or rather I forbear to threaten--that it shall be as hugely copious as the others.

But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

You see I am still in what my old landlord never speaks of but as 'this great metropolis'; and I hope you will believe me when I add, moreover, that I am in the best of health and spirits.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/78

The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) Henry James

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Your H. _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869. My dearest Mother, ...This will have been my fifth weekly bundle since my arrival, and I can't promise--or rather I forbear to threaten--that it shall be as hugely copious as the others. But there's no telling where my pen may take me. You see I am still in what my old landlord never speaks of but as 'this great metropolis'; and I hope you will believe me when I add, moreover, that I am in the best of health and spirits.

The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Your H.

Line 2

_To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

Line 3

My dearest Mother, ...This will have been my fifth weekly bundle since my arrival, and I can't promise--or rather I forbear to threaten--that it shall be as hugely copious as the others.

Line 4

But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

Line 5

You see I am still in what my old landlord never speaks of but as 'this great metropolis'; and I hope you will believe me when I add, moreover, that I am in the best of health and spirits.

Learner Dictionary

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “My dearest Mother, ...This will have been my fifth weekly bundle since my arrival, and I can't promise--or rather I forbear to threaten--that it shall be as hugely copious as the others.”

Bundle noun US /ˈbʌndəl/

a group of things tied or wrapped together

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “But there's no telling where my pen may take me.”

Moreover adverb US /mɔːˈroʊvər/

in addition to what has just been said

From this reading “You see I am still in what my old landlord never speaks of but as 'this great metropolis'; and I hope you will believe me when I add, moreover, that I am in the best of health and spirits.”

Shall modal verb US /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

All words in this reading · 71

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

1869

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

add

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You see I am still in what my old landlord never speaks of but as 'this great metropolis'; and I hope you will believe me when I add, moreover, that I am in the best of health and spirits.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading My dearest Mother, ...This will have been my fifth weekly bundle since my arrival, and I can't promise--or rather I forbear to threaten--that it shall be as hugely copious as the others.

arrival

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

believe

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best

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bundlenounUS /ˈbʌndəl/

a group of things tied or wrapped together

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

can't

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copious

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dearest

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fifth

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forbear

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great

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Your H.

Half

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

health

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

hope

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hugely

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IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

landlord

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

March

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

metropolis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Moon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

moreoveradverbUS /mɔːˈroʊvər/

in addition to what has just been said

Mother

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

never

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

others

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pen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

promise

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rather

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see

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shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

speaks

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

spirits

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

still

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take

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From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

telling

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From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

there's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

threaten

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _To his Mother._ 7 Half Moon St., W. March 26, 1869.

weekly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading But there's no telling where my pen may take me.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

YourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Your H.

Chapter II

What does chapter 2 of The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) contain?

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Vocabulary met early in The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I)