Chapter 2 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel. “Sing!” cried the little man,--“sing! Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion. If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent. What say you Laddie?”
Chapter 2 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 66/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 326–330
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.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading “Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.”
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading “Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.”
deliver by singing
From this reading “Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.”
a witty amusing person who makes jokes
From this reading “If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Sing!” cried the little man,--“sing!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
a male child (a familiar term of address to a boy)
From this reading What say you Laddie?”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Sing!” cried the little man,--“sing!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Sing!” cried the little man,--“sing!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
express in words
From this reading What say you Laddie?”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
deliver by singing
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Sing!” cried the little man,--“sing!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading Monsieur, the dog shall try me this conclusion.
a witty amusing person who makes jokes
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What say you Laddie?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If he wag his tail, then will I sing; if he do not wag his tail, then--then will I not be silent.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wouldn't Monsey sing summat and fiddle to it too; aye, that he would, Mattha knew reet weel.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What say you Laddie?”
Chapter 2 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine holds 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 358 sentences of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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.
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About 600 minutes of reading across 1616 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
