Chapter 2 of The Shadow of the Past is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 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 the Past is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again. "It was jolly on the beach last night. I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise. "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?" "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
Chapter 2 of The Shadow of the Past is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading “"It was jolly on the beach last night.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “"Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “"No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"It was jolly on the beach last night.”
conformity or harmony
From this reading “"The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.”
quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception
From this reading “I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “"No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.”
past form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading “I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.”
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 “"It was jolly on the beach last night.”
In this reading “I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.”
In this reading “"It was jolly on the beach last night.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “"Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"”
In this reading “"Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"”
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 "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
later than; following
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
anew
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
at any time
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
conformity or harmony
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
immediately past
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
not any; not one
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
a brief written record
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
many times at short intervals
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
past form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading I tramped out after dinner," he explained, observing her surprise.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "No. I don't often get the opportunity," she answered; and there was, he fancied, a note of regret in her voice.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was jolly on the beach last night.
at the time that
From this reading "The best time is the evening," he said, keeping beside her when she started to walk again.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you ever come down here in the dusk?"
Chapter 2 of The Shadow of the Past by F. E. Mills (Florence Ethel Mills) Young holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of The Shadow of the Past, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Shadow of the Past by F. E. Mills (Florence Ethel Mills) Young exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Shadow of the Past by F. E. Mills (Florence Ethel Mills) Young on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5639 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37262 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37262, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 469 minutes of reading across 1128 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shadow of the Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Shadow of the Past 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 Shadow of the Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
