Chapter 2 of The Necromancers is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Necromancers is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"In what?" "Spiritualism." "I daresay," said Maggie. She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply. For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
Chapter 2 of The Necromancers is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading “For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.”
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.”
past form of “loathe” — find repugnant
From this reading “For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.”
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading “She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.”
(theology) any doctrine that asserts the separate existence of God
From this reading “"Spiritualism."”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
in a hearty manner
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I daresay," said Maggie.
the organ of sight
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
only a very short time before
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I daresay," said Maggie.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In what?"
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
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 For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
past form of “loathe” — find repugnant
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I daresay," said Maggie.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I daresay," said Maggie.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
(theology) any doctrine that asserts the separate existence of God
From this reading "Spiritualism."
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She perceived out of the corner of her eye that Laurie looked at her suddenly and sharply.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "In what?"
the words that are spoken
From this reading For herself, she loathed what little she knew of the subject, so cordially and completely, that she could hardly have put it into words.
Chapter 2 of The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Necromancers, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5213 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14275 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14275, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1043 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Necromancers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Necromancers 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 Necromancers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
