Chapter II of The mill of silence, “A Nixie,” is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter II of The mill of silence, “A Nixie,” is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily. “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?” “What we can get,” said my brother, sleepily. “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?” “Oh, don’t bother, Renny.
Chapter II of The mill of silence, “A Nixie,” is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading “My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.”
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading ““Oh, don’t bother, Renny.”
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading “My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.”
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.”
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading ““Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?””
the present occasion
From this reading “My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.”
third-person singular of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading ““But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?””
in a sleepy manner
From this reading ““What we can get,” said my brother, sleepily.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.”
In this reading ““But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?””
continue to live and avoid dying
In this reading ““Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?””
In this reading “My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “Oh, don’t bother, Renny.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “What we can get,” said my brother, sleepily.
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, don’t bother, Renny.
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “What we can get,” said my brother, sleepily.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
the present occasion
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, don’t bother, Renny.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
third-person singular of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, don’t bother, Renny.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
in a sleepy manner
From this reading “What we can get,” said my brother, sleepily.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading My brother tired of his fishing for the nonce, and for an hour we lay on our backs in the grass chatting desultorily.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Jason,” said I, suddenly, “what do we live on?”
in or at the place that
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
which person or people
From this reading “But I mean--where does it come from; who provides it?”
Chapter 2 of The mill of silence by Bernard Capes holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of The mill of silence, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The mill of silence by Bernard Capes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The mill of silence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
