Chapter 12 of The Second Violin is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Second Violin is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"There! Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?" Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork. Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling. "It does, indeed.
Chapter 12 of The Second Violin is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading “Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.”
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.”
a work produced by hand labor
From this reading “Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.”
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading “Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.”
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading “Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.”
accept gladly
From this reading “Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"”
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 Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It does, indeed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
a work produced by hand labor
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "It does, indeed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It does, indeed.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Celia stood in the doorway and surveyed her handiwork.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There!
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Mrs. Birch, from an opposite threshold, nodded, smiling.
accept gladly
From this reading Doesn't that look like a 'Welcome Home'?"
Chapter 12 of The Second Violin by Grace S. (Grace Smith) Richmond holds 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 12 holds 253 sentences of The Second Violin, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Second Violin by Grace S. (Grace Smith) Richmond exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 12 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 Second Violin by Grace S. (Grace Smith) Richmond on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13209 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13209, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 381 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second Violin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Second Violin 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 Second Violin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
