The Sorceress

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Sorceress is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

I have now to explain how it was that Mr. Aubrey Leigh was so interesting and so melancholy, and thus awoke the friendship and compassion, and secured the ministrations of the Kingsward family.

He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

Poor young man!

He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/28

The Sorceress Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Sorceress is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

I have now to explain how it was that Mr. Aubrey Leigh was so interesting and so melancholy, and thus awoke the friendship and compassion, and secured the ministrations of the Kingsward family. He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child. Poor young man! He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands. He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

The Sorceress

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Sorceress is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

I have now to explain how it was that Mr. Aubrey Leigh was so interesting and so melancholy, and thus awoke the friendship and compassion, and secured the ministrations of the Kingsward family.

Line 2

He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

Line 3

Poor young man!

/puːr jʌŋ mæn/

Line 4

He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

/hiː hæd ˈmerid wɪð ˈevəri əˈpɪrəns ʌv ˈhæpinəs ənd prɑːˈsperəti bʌt hɪz waɪf hæd daɪd æt ðə end ʌv ðə fɜːrst jɪr ˈliːvɪŋ hɪm wɪð ə ˈbeɪbi ɑːn hɪz ɪnɪkˈspɪriənst hændz/

Line 5

He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

/hiː wɑːz ə jʌŋ mæn fʊl ʌv ˈfiːlɪŋ ənd ˈkɑːntreri tuː ðə ædˈvaɪs ʌv ɔːl hɪz frendz hiː hæd ʃʌt hɪmˈself ʌp ɪn hɪz haʊs ɪn ðə ˈkʌntri ənd ˈdedəkeɪtəd hɪmˈself tuː hɪz tʃaɪld/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bereaved noun US /bərˈiːvd/

a person who has suffered the death of someone they loved

From this reading “He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.”

compassion noun US /kəmˈpæʃən/

a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering

From this reading “I have now to explain how it was that Mr. Aubrey Leigh was so interesting and so melancholy, and thus awoke the friendship and compassion, and secured the ministrations of the Kingsward family.”

dedicated adjective US /ˈdedəkeɪtəd/

devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose

From this reading “He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.”

inexperienced adjective US /ɪnɪkˈspɪriənst/

lacking practical experience or training

From this reading “He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.”

Leigh noun US /liː/

English film actress (1913-1967)

ministrations noun US /ˌmɪnəˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “ministration” — assistance in time of difficulty

prosperity noun US /prɑːˈsperəti/

an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment

From this reading “He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.”

widower noun US /ˈwɪdoʊər/

a man whose wife is dead especially one who has not remarried

From this reading “He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

deep mourning adjective + noun

In this reading “He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.”

young man adjective + noun

a teenager or a young adult male

In this reading “Poor young man!”

at the end preposition + article + noun counted as “at … end”

In this reading “He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.”

first year adjective + noun

In this reading “He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.”

in the country preposition + article + noun counted as “in … country”

In this reading “He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

advicenounUS /ædˈvaɪs/

a proposal for an appropriate course of action

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I have now to explain how it was that Mr. Aubrey Leigh was so interesting and so melancholy, and thus awoke the friendship and compassion, and secured the ministrations of the Kingsward family.

appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

Aubrey

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

awokeverbUS /əˈwoʊk/

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

babynounUS /ˈbeɪbi/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

bereavednounUS /bərˈiːvd/

a person who has suffered the death of someone they loved

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

compassionnounUS /kəmˈpæʃən/

a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering

contraryadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntreri/

very opposed in nature or character or purpose

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

dedicatedadjectiveUS /ˈdedəkeɪtəd/

devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

eight-and-twenty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

explainverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪn/

make plain and comprehensible

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

friendshipnounUS /ˈfrendʃɪp/

the state of being friends (or friendly)

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

inexperiencedadjectiveUS /ɪnɪkˈspɪriənst/

lacking practical experience or training

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

interestingadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

arousing or holding the attention

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

Kingsward

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

LeighnounUS /liː/

English film actress (1913-1967)

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Poor young man!

marriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/

joined in matrimony

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

melancholynounUS /ˈmelənkɑːli/

a feeling of thoughtful sadness

ministrationsnounUS /ˌmɪnəˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “ministration” — assistance in time of difficulty

mourningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

PooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading Poor young man!

prosperitynounUS /prɑːˈsperəti/

an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

securedverbUS /sɪˈkjʊrd/

past form of “secure” — get by special effort

shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

thusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading He was a young man full of feeling, and, contrary to the advice of all his friends, he had shut himself up in his house in the country and dedicated himself to his child.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

widowernounUS /ˈwɪdoʊər/

a man whose wife is dead especially one who has not remarried

From this reading He was in deep mourning, for though he was only eight-and-twenty he was already a widower, and bereaved beside of his only child.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading He had married with every appearance of happiness and prosperity, but his wife had died at the end of the first year, leaving him with a baby on his inexperienced hands.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Poor young man!

Chapter 2 of The Sorceress by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Sorceress contain?

Chapter 2 holds 144 sentences of The Sorceress, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Sorceress by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Sorceress?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Sorceress

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Is this the complete text of The Sorceress?

Yes. All 2503 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51617 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Sorceress is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #51617, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Sorceress take to read?

About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Sorceress

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Sorceress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Exciting: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Sorceress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Event: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Sorceress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Occurred: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Sorceress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Family: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Sorceress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter II

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