Chapter 2 of The Shepherd of the North is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Shepherd of the North is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys. They were good, kindly people, she knew. But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked! He did not. He did not.
Chapter 2 of The Shepherd of the North is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading “But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!”
plural of “comment” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
plural of “condolence” — an expression of sympathy with another's grief
From this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
capital of the state of Michigan; located in southern Michigan on the Grand River
From this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading “But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!”
expressed without speech
From this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
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 “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
In this reading “Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.”
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 Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
plural of “comment” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
plural of “condolence” — an expression of sympathy with another's grief
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading They were good, kindly people, she knew.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading They were good, kindly people, she knew.
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 They were good, kindly people, she knew.
capital of the state of Michigan; located in southern Michigan on the Grand River
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
expressed without speech
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading They were good, kindly people, she knew.
to say, state, or perform again
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were good, kindly people, she knew.
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were good, kindly people, she knew.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Ruth Lansing sat mute in her grief at the head of the couch, listening to the comments and stumbling condolences of neighbours from the high hills and the lower valleys.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were good, kindly people, she knew.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading But why, why, must every one of them repeat that clumsy, monotonous lie-- How natural he looked!
Chapter 2 of The Shepherd of the North by Richard Aumerle Maher holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of The Shepherd of the North, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Shepherd of the North by Richard Aumerle Maher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Shepherd of the North by Richard Aumerle Maher on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5856 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30093, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 488 minutes of reading across 1172 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shepherd of the North section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Shepherd of the North 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 Shepherd of the North, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
