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The Light Princess
The Light Princess

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Light Princess is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Light Princess
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.
"Can you bear this?" said the king.
"No, I can't," said the queen.
"Well, what's to be done?" said the king.
"I'm sure I don't know," said the queen.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Light Princess

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Light Princess is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.
Line 2
"Can you bear this?" said the king.
Line 3
"No, I can't," said the queen.
Line 4
"Well, what's to be done?" said the king.
Line 5
"I'm sure I don't know," said the queen.

All words in this reading · 35

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.

and

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

arms

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

be

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

From this reading "Well, what's to be done?" said the king.

bear

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

From this reading "Can you bear this?" said the king.

Can

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

From this reading "Can you bear this?" said the king.

can't

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

From this reading "No, I can't," said the queen.

consult

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

don't

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

From this reading "I'm sure I don't know," said the queen.

done

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

From this reading "Well, what's to be done?" said the king.

down

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

her

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

his

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

I

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

From this reading "No, I can't," said the queen.

I'm

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

From this reading "I'm sure I don't know," said the queen.

in

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

king

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

know

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

From this reading "I'm sure I don't know," said the queen.

looked

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

No

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

From this reading "No, I can't," said the queen.

queen

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

From this reading "No, I can't," said the queen.

rueful

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

said

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

From this reading "Can you bear this?" said the king.

sat

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

She

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

so

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

sure

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

From this reading "I'm sure I don't know," said the queen.

that

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

the

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

they

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

this

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

From this reading "Can you bear this?" said the king.

to

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

took

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

From this reading She looked so rueful, that the king took her in his arms; and they sat down to consult.

Well

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

From this reading "Well, what's to be done?" said the king.

what's

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

From this reading "Well, what's to be done?" said the king.

you

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

From this reading "Can you bear this?" said the king.

Chapter 2 of The Light Princess by George MacDonald holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Light Princess contain?

Chapter 2 holds 198 sentences of The Light Princess, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Light Princess by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 Light Princess?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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 Light Princess

Common questions about reading The Light Princess by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Light Princess?

Yes. All 958 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Light Princess is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #697, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Light Princess take to read?

About 79 minutes of reading across 192 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Light Princess section by section

How to work through The Light Princess section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Light Princess to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Light Princess

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Light Princess, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Children
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light Princess; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Won't
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light Princess; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Can't
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light Princess; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Where
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Light Princess; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.