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The Pastor's Son
The Pastor's Son

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Pastor's Son is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Pastor's Son
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"
"I hardly know, father," said Walter.
"Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.
As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."
"All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Pastor's Son

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Pastor's Son is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"
/wʌt ˈwɔːltər faʊnd ˈdɪnər ˈoʊvər ðeɪ ɔːl ərˈoʊz frʌm ðer siːts æt ðə ˈteɪbəl ənd ðə ˈfɑːðər æskt ˈwɔːltər wʌt pɑːrt ʌv ðə ˈbaɪbəl ʃæl wiː stɑːrt tuː ˈstʌdi fɜːrst/
Line 2
"I hardly know, father," said Walter.
/aɪ ˈhɑːrdli noʊ ˈfɑːðər sed ˈwɔːltər/
Line 3
"Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.
/wel juː kæn teɪk ðə oʊld ˈfæməli ˈbaɪbəl lʊk ɪt ˈoʊvər ənd ðen ˌdɪˈsaɪd/
Line 4
As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."
/æz fɔːr ˌmaɪˈself aɪ hæv ˈveri ˈlɪtəl tʃɔɪs aɪ hæv red ənd ˈstʌdid ɪt soʊ ˈɔːfən ðæt aɪ fiːl ˈveri fəˈmɪljər wɪð ɔːl ɪt kənˈteɪnz/
Line 5
"All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"
/ɔːl raɪt ˈfɑːðər meɪ aɪ ɡoʊ ʌp tuː maɪ ruːm naʊ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

arose verb US /ərˈoʊz/

inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape

From this reading “WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"”

Bible noun US /ˈbaɪbəl/

the sacred writings of the Christian religions

From this reading “WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"”

choice noun US /tʃɔɪs/

the person or thing chosen or selected

From this reading “As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."”

contains verb US /kənˈteɪnz/

third-person singular of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component

From this reading “As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."”

decide verb US /ˌdɪˈsaɪd/

reach, make, or come to a decision about something

From this reading “"Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.”

seats noun US /siːts/

an area that includes places where several people can sit

From this reading “WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"”

studied adjective US /ˈstʌdid/

produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation

From this reading “As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."”

walter noun US /ˈwɔːltər/

German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading “WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

aroseverbUS /ərˈoʊz/

inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

BiblenounUS /ˈbaɪbəl/

the sacred writings of the Christian religions

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

choicenounUS /tʃɔɪs/

the person or thing chosen or selected

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

containsverbUS /kənˈteɪnz/

third-person singular of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

decideverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪd/

reach, make, or come to a decision about something

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

DinnernounUS /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

familiaradjectiveUS /fəˈmɪljər/

well known or easily recognized

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

FOUNDverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading "I hardly know, father," said Walter.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I hardly know, father," said Walter.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "I hardly know, father," said Walter.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I hardly know, father," said Walter.

seatsnounUS /siːts/

an area that includes places where several people can sit

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

startverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

studiedadjectiveUS /ˈstʌdid/

produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

studynounUS /ˈstʌdi/

a detailed critical inspection

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "All right; father, may I go up to my room now?"

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

WALTERnounUS /ˈwɔːltər/

German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

WHATpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading WHAT WALTER FOUND Dinner over, they all arose from their seats at the table, and the father asked, "Walter, what part of the Bible shall we start to study first?"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading As for myself I have very little choice; I have read and studied it so often that I feel very familiar with all it contains."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Well, you can take the old family Bible, look it over and then decide.

Chapter 2 of The Pastor's Son by William W. Walter holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Pastor's Son contain?

Chapter 2 holds 117 sentences of The Pastor's Son, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Pastor's Son by William W. Walter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Pastor's Son?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Pastor's Son

Common questions about reading The Pastor's Son by William W. Walter on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Pastor's Son?

Yes. All 1514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6310 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Pastor's Son is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6310, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Pastor's Son take to read?

About 126 minutes of reading across 303 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Pastor's Son section by section

How to work through The Pastor's Son section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Pastor's Son to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Pastor's Son

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Pastor's Son, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sermon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Asked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pastor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pastor's Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.