Chapter 2 of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'Very well, take her with you.' "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason. I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on. "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same. "Thus a fortnight passed.
Chapter 2 of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
use to one's advantage
From this reading “I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.”
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading “"Thus a fortnight passed.”
a seaport in northwestern Italy; provincial capital of Liguria
From this reading “"But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.”
arrange in a container
From this reading “"Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.”
a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings
From this reading “"Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.”
logically valid
From this reading “I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.”
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading “"But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.”
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 “"But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.”
In this reading “"Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.”
In this reading “"But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.”
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 "Thus a fortnight passed.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
use to one's advantage
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading "Thus a fortnight passed.
a seaport in northwestern Italy; provincial capital of Liguria
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
the act of giving
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "'Very well, take her with you.'
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
go away from a place
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
not any; not one
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
in a stubborn unregenerate manner
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
arrange in a container
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading "Thus a fortnight passed.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
logically valid
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
Identical; not different.
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
carry out
From this reading "'Very well, take her with you.'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading "Thus a fortnight passed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
precisely as stated
From this reading "'Very well, take her with you.'
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I besought, I reasoned, I promised, but all was of no avail, and so I stayed on.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "'Very well, take her with you.'
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "'Very well, take her with you.'
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "But she obstinately refused to leave Genoa, without giving any reason.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Paul declared that he would go by himself, and went so far as to pack up his portmanteau; but he remained all the same.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'Very well, take her with you.'
Chapter 2 of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3716 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60136 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60136, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 744 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories 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 Sisters Rondoli, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
