Chapter 2 of The Pleasures of the Country is here in full — 556 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Pleasures of the Country is here in full — 556 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her. "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her." "So do I, Rose. What can we do?" This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
Chapter 2 of The Pleasures of the Country is here in full — 556 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/111 · 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.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “"Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.”
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading “This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.”
being of use or service
From this reading “This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.”
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading “"Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."”
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 “This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.”
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 This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
any thing at all
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading What can we do?"
without stop or interruption
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
immediately past
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
engage in
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading "So do I, Rose.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So do I, Rose.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
make an effort or attempt
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Harry looked as if he did not quite understand her.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
being of use or service
From this reading This led to a great deal of talk between them; and at last they ran to their mama to ask her to let them try to be useful to her.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What can we do?"
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading "Mama is always working for us, and doing things to make us happy," she continued, "and I wish we could do anything to help her."
Chapter 2 of The Pleasures of the Country by Harriet Myrtle holds 556 sentences, grouped into 112 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 556 sentences of The Pleasures of the Country, unabridged, divided into 112 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Pleasures of the Country by Harriet Myrtle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 556 sentences, grouped into 112 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 112 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 112 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 Pleasures of the Country by Harriet Myrtle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37013 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37013, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pleasures of the Country section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Pleasures of the Country 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 Pleasures of the Country, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
