Chapter 2 of The Silent Mill is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Silent Mill is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Have you no sisters?" he asks. She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing. "It's really too bad. Not even one for a wife for you." He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
Chapter 2 of The Silent Mill is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"Have you no sisters?" he asks.”
-ing form of “burst” — come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.”
plural of “join” — the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
From this reading “He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."”
third-person singular of “observe” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."”
plural of “shake” — building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading “She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.”
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “"Have you no sisters?" he asks.”
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.
give sudden release to an expression
In this reading “She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.”
deserving regret
In this reading “"It's really too bad.”
In this reading “He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."”
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 Not even one for a wife for you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Have you no sisters?" he asks.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "It's really too bad.
-ing form of “burst” — come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
divisible by two
From this reading Not even one for a wife for you."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Not even one for a wife for you."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you no sisters?" he asks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have you no sisters?" he asks.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's really too bad.
plural of “join” — the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
not any; not one
From this reading "Have you no sisters?" he asks.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not even one for a wife for you."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
third-person singular of “observe” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Not even one for a wife for you."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "It's really too bad.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
plural of “shake” — building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading "Have you no sisters?" he asks.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She shakes her head; then she says, suddenly bursting out laughing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "It's really too bad.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading He joins in her laughter and observes: "I don't seem to want a wife so much now."
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Not even one for a wife for you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you no sisters?" he asks.
Chapter 2 of The Silent Mill by Hermann Sudermann holds 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 462 sentences of The Silent Mill, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Silent Mill by Hermann Sudermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Silent Mill by Hermann Sudermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1896 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 380 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silent Mill section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Silent Mill 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 Silent Mill, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
