Chapter 2 of The Rosery Folk is here in full — 407 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 Rosery Folk is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But why not?" said Scarlett. "Why not? Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room. He could not bear to be in the dark. He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
Chapter 2 of The Rosery Folk is here in full — 407 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
at or in or to any place
From this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
become of; happen to
From this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.”
in order that something should not happen
From this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading “Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.”
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
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 “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
In this reading “Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.”
In this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
In this reading “He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."”
In this reading “He could not bear to be in the dark.”
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 He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
at or in or to any place
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He could not bear to be in the dark.
have
From this reading He could not bear to be in the dark.
for the reason that
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
become of; happen to
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But why not?" said Scarlett.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not bear to be in the dark.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He could not bear to be in the dark.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
destroyed or killed
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
in order that something should not happen
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But why not?" said Scarlett.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But why not?" said Scarlett.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But why not?" said Scarlett.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
a special situation
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He could not bear to be in the dark.
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "But why not?" said Scarlett.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Because his nerve has gone, he dare not sleep without some one in the next room.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading He cannot trust himself to do a single thing for fear he should do it wrong, or go anywhere lest some terrible accident should befall him."
Chapter 2 of The Rosery Folk by George Manville Fenn holds 407 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 407 sentences of The Rosery Folk, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Rosery Folk by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 Rosery Folk by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4126 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 826 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rosery Folk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Rosery Folk 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 Rosery Folk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
