Chapter 2 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time. "Oh! I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale. "He's rather fun," replied Hazel. "He isn't young, though.
Chapter 2 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
concealing something under the ground
From this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
of a light brown or yellowish brown color
From this reading “"He's rather fun," replied Hazel.”
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading “"But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.”
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
the application of wax to a surface
From this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
an established custom
From this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
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.
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.”
In this reading “"But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.”
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 I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
concealing something under the ground
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
having the place or position changed
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading "He's rather fun," replied Hazel.
of a light brown or yellowish brown color
From this reading "He's rather fun," replied Hazel.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's rather fun," replied Hazel.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He isn't young, though.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
on the contrary
From this reading "He's rather fun," replied Hazel.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "He's rather fun," replied Hazel.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "He isn't young, though.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
the application of wax to a surface
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "But what is he like, Lily?" she was saying--not quite for the first time.
at the time that
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
an established custom
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I told you before," snapped Lily, waxing impatient, and burying her nose in a book--She was wont to be petulant when disturbed in the midst of an absorbing tale.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "He isn't young, though.
Chapter 2 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan by Bertram Mitford holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4465 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36606 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36606, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 372 minutes of reading across 893 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan 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 Ruby Sword: A Romance of Baluchistan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
