Chapter 2 of The Splendid Idle Forties is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Splendid Idle Forties is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Mariquita! Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces! Thy señora will beat thee! Holy heaven, but it is hot!" "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
Chapter 2 of The Splendid Idle Forties is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading “Thy señora will beat thee!”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “Holy heaven, but it is hot!"”
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading “Holy heaven, but it is hot!"”
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading “Holy heaven, but it is hot!"”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “"For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.”
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading “Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!”
a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles
From this reading “Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!”
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading “Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!”
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.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading Thy señora will beat thee!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Holy heaven, but it is hot!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
an idle worthless person
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Holy heaven, but it is hot!"
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading Holy heaven, but it is hot!"
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Holy heaven, but it is hot!"
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Holy heaven, but it is hot!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Holy heaven, but it is hot!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mariquita!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "For that reason I hurry, old Faquita.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thy señora will beat thee!
a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading Thy señora will beat thee!
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Thy señora will beat thee!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Thy señora will beat thee!
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading Thou good-for-nothing, thou art wringing that smock in pieces!
Chapter 2 of The Splendid Idle Forties by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 208 sentences of The Splendid Idle Forties, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Splendid Idle Forties by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Splendid Idle Forties by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Splendid Idle Forties section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Splendid Idle Forties 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 Splendid Idle Forties, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
