Chapter 2 of The Marriages is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Marriages is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“No indeed, why should I?” Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him. “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart. “Yes, in the course of time. I don’t rush off within the week.”
Chapter 2 of The Marriages is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading ““Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.”
a visual display of information
From this reading ““Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading ““Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.”
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading ““Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading ““No indeed, why should I?””
move hurridly
From this reading “I don’t rush off within the week.””
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “I don’t rush off within the week.””
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “I don’t rush off within the week.””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
later than; following
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
a visual display of information
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Yes, in the course of time.
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No indeed, why should I?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Yes, in the course of time.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “No indeed, why should I?”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
not any; not one
From this reading “No indeed, why should I?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Yes, in the course of time.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I don’t rush off within the week.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
move hurridly
From this reading I don’t rush off within the week.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “No indeed, why should I?”
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes, in the course of time.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Yes, in the course of time.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I don’t rush off within the week.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “No indeed, why should I?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading I don’t rush off within the week.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Adela knew that he knew she hadn’t been, since Mrs. Churchley would have told him.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, in the course of time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don’t you call on people after you dine with them?” said Colonel Chart.
Chapter 2 of The Marriages by Henry James holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 182 sentences of The Marriages, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Marriages by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Marriages by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 723 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2436 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2436, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 60 minutes of reading across 145 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Marriages section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Marriages 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 Marriages, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
