Chapter 2 of The prior claim is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The prior claim is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window. She lifted a cautious hand. “Ssh! There! Something moves outside.”
Chapter 2 of The prior claim is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “* * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.”
showing careful forethought
From this reading “She lifted a cautious hand.”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “* * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.”
held up in the air
From this reading “She lifted a cautious hand.”
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading “Something moves outside.””
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “Something moves outside.””
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading “* * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.”
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading “* * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.”
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.
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 She lifted a cautious hand.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
showing careful forethought
From this reading She lifted a cautious hand.
opinion or judgment
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
a young female
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She lifted a cautious hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
held up in the air
From this reading She lifted a cautious hand.
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading Something moves outside.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Something moves outside.”
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She lifted a cautious hand.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something moves outside.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ssh!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading * * * * * The girl was alert, rigid, her eyes fixed on the window.
Chapter 2 of The prior claim by Eleanor Mercein Kelly holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The prior claim, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The prior claim by Eleanor Mercein Kelly exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 prior claim by Eleanor Mercein Kelly on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 828 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71775 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71775, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 69 minutes of reading across 166 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The prior claim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The prior claim 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 prior claim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
