Chapter 2 of The Moth Decides: A Novel is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Moth Decides: A Novel is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She carried the problematical atom to her teeth. The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest. She set her teeth firmly together. There was a little brittle crack. The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
Chapter 2 of The Moth Decides: A Novel is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
(physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
From this reading “She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.”
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading “There was a little brittle crack.”
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading “There was a little brittle crack.”
not open to question; obviously true
From this reading “The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.”
of very great significance
From this reading “The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.”
open to doubt or debate
From this reading “She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.”
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading “The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.”
trying something to find out about it
From this reading “The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.”
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 “The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
(physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading There was a little brittle crack.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading There was a little brittle crack.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
with resolute determination
From this reading She set her teeth firmly together.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
not open to question; obviously true
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was a little brittle crack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
engage in
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
of very great significance
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
and nothing more
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
open to doubt or debate
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She set her teeth firmly together.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
trying something to find out about it
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a little brittle crack.
push forcefully
From this reading The indisputable fact that it was Lynndal Barry thrust between them a short silence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She carried the problematical atom to her teeth.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading She set her teeth firmly together.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The test, which she strove to make momentous, was one to which Leslie brought only a melancholy interest.
Chapter 2 of The Moth Decides: A Novel by Edward Alden Jewell holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of The Moth Decides: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Moth Decides: A Novel by Edward Alden Jewell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Moth Decides: A Novel by Edward Alden Jewell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4622 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 385 minutes of reading across 925 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Moth Decides: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Moth Decides: A Novel 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 Moth Decides: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
