Chapter 2 of The Orchid is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Orchid is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home. Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations. By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors. I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home." "Harry Spencer?
Chapter 2 of The Orchid is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a component that is added to something to improve it
From this reading “By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.”
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.”
plural of “bachelor” — a man who has never been married
From this reading “By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.”
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading “By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.”
plural of “compensation” — something (such as money) given or received as payment or reparation (as for a service or loss or injury)
From this reading “Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.”
English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
From this reading “I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home."”
scatter or intersperse like dots or studs
From this reading “By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.”
impressive by reason of age
From this reading “Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.”
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 “I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home."”
In this reading “"In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.”
introducing a different topic
In this reading “By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.”
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 "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
a component that is added to something to improve it
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
the time of a man's life prior to marriage
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
plural of “bachelor” — a man who has never been married
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home."
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
plural of “compensation” — something (such as money) given or received as payment or reparation (as for a service or loss or injury)
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
divisible by two
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home."
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
From this reading I hear that Harry Spencer is coming home."
scatter or intersperse like dots or studs
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "In this company I am free to admit that I sometimes sigh in secret for a happy home.
impressive by reason of age
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By the way," he added, "our colony at Westfield is likely to have an addition to its stud of bachelors.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet even venerable bachelorhood has its compensations.
Chapter 2 of The Orchid by Robert Grant holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 433 sentences of The Orchid, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Orchid by Robert Grant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Orchid by Robert Grant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1694 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53711 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53711, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Orchid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Orchid 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 Orchid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
