The Pond

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Pond is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Carl Ewald • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

Even the husband swayed.

For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

Narrator

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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 Pond

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Pond is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

Line 2

Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

/ðen ʃiː sæt daʊn ɑːn ðə eɡz ənd saɪd əˈɡen/

Line 3

And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

/ənd ðə riːdz sweɪd ɪn ðə ˈbɑːmi waɪnd ənd ðə nest sweɪd ənd ðə eɡz sweɪd ðæt leɪ ɪn ðə nest ənd ðə dɪr ˈlɪtəl braʊn bɜːrd ðæt sæt ɑːn ðə eɡz/

Line 4

Even the husband swayed.

/ˈiːvɪn ðə ˈhʌzbənd sweɪd/

Line 5

For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

/fɔːr wen wʌn rʌʃ sweɪz ðə ˈʌðər sweɪz tuː ənd hiː wɑːz ˈsɪtɪŋ ɑːn wʌn dʒʌst bɪˈsaɪd ðə nest/

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.

balmy adjective US /ˈbɑːmi/

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

From this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

egg noun US /eɡ/

animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds

From this reading “A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.”

heaved verb US /hiːvd/

past form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort

From this reading “A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.”

nest noun US /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

reeds noun US /riːdz/

plural of “reed” — tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites

From this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

sighs noun US /saɪz/

plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly

From this reading “A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.”

swayed verb US /sweɪd/

past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways

From this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

sways noun US /sweɪz/

plural of “sway” — controlling influence

From this reading “For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

brown bird noun + noun

In this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

little brown adjective + noun

In this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

lay in verb + particle

keep or lay aside for future use

In this reading “And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

balmyadjectiveUS /ˈbɑːmi/

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

birdnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

eggnounUS /eɡ/

animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

eggsnounUS /eɡz/

oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

EvenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Even the husband swayed.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

heavedverbUS /hiːvd/

past form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading Even the husband swayed.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

LittleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

MannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

nestnounUS /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

Reed-Warbler

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

reedsnounUS /riːdz/

plural of “reed” — tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

rushverbUS /rʌʃ/

move hurridly

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

sighverbUS /saɪ/

heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

sighedverbUS /saɪd/

past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

sighsnounUS /saɪz/

plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

swayedverbUS /sweɪd/

past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

swaysnounUS /sweɪz/

plural of “sway” — controlling influence

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then she sat down on the eggs and sighed again.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading For, when one rush sways, the other sways too; and he was sitting on one just beside the nest.

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading And the reeds swayed in the balmy wind and the nest swayed and the eggs swayed that lay in the nest and the dear little brown bird that sat on the eggs.

WorldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading A Man of The World Little Mrs. Reed-Warbler heaved five deep sighs and, at each sigh, she laid an egg.

Chapter 2 of The Pond by Carl Ewald holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 Pond contain?

Chapter 2 holds 104 sentences of The Pond, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Pond by Carl Ewald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 Pond?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 Pond

Common questions about reading The Pond by Carl Ewald on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Pond?

Yes. All 1500 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31708 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Pond is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31708, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Pond take to read?

About 125 minutes of reading across 300 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Pond

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Early: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pond; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter II

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