Chapter 2 of The Scarlet Banner is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Scarlet Banner is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND: I send these notes to you rather than to any other man. Why? First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost. Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
Chapter 2 of The Scarlet Banner 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
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.
without doubt; certainly
From this reading “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
come to pass
From this reading “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.”
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading “I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
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 “Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!”
In this reading “I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.”
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 TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND:
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
for the reason that
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND:
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
without doubt; certainly
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND:
come to pass
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
on the contrary
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
cause to go somewhere
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
a special situation
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO CORNELIUS CETHEGUS CAESARIUS, A FRIEND:
in or at the place that
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
which person or people
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I send these notes to you rather than to any other man.
Chapter 2 of The Scarlet Banner by Felix Dahn 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.
Chapter 2 holds 104 sentences of The Scarlet Banner, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Scarlet Banner by Felix Dahn 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.
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.
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 Scarlet Banner by Felix Dahn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6024 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32461 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32461, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 502 minutes of reading across 1205 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Scarlet Banner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Scarlet Banner 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 Scarlet Banner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
