Chapter 2 of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories is here in full — 415 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 Preliminaries, and Other Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, there you have it," he concluded at last. "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses. Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth. My father seemed to think Ruth would hurt me. Is married life something to be afraid of?
Chapter 2 of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “Is married life something to be afraid of?”
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading “"Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.”
joined in matrimony
From this reading “Is married life something to be afraid of?”
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “"For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading “"For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “"For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.”
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 “Is married life something to be afraid of?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading My father seemed to think Ruth would hurt me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
be the source of pain
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
immediately past
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
joined in matrimony
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My father seemed to think Ruth would hurt me.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My father seemed to think Ruth would hurt me.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Is married life something to be afraid of?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "For myself, the things they said opened chasms and abysses.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
(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, there you have it," he concluded at last.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mrs. Lannithorne seemed to think I would hurt Ruth.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, there you have it," he concluded at last.
Chapter 2 of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories by Cornelia A. P. (Cornelia Atwood Pratt) Comer holds 415 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 415 sentences of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories by Cornelia A. P. (Cornelia Atwood Pratt) Comer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Preliminaries, and Other Stories by Cornelia A. P. (Cornelia Atwood Pratt) Comer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2059 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33665 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33665, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 171 minutes of reading across 412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Preliminaries, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Preliminaries, and Other Stories 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 Preliminaries, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
