Chapter 2 of The step on the stair is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The step on the stair is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“By him?” I nodded; the room was whirling about me. “Did he tell you like a man in love?” I flushed. What a question from him to me!
Chapter 2 of The step on the stair is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading “I flushed.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading ““Did he tell you like a man in love?””
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading ““Did he tell you like a man in love?””
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “I nodded; the room was whirling about me.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “What a question from him to me!”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “I nodded; the room was whirling about me.”
express in words
From this reading ““Did he tell you like a man in love?””
the act of rotating in a circle or spiral
From this reading “I nodded; the room was whirling about me.”
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.
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 “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “By him?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading I flushed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading What a question from him to me!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “By him?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading What a question from him to me!
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
express in words
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What a question from him to me!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a question from him to me!
the act of rotating in a circle or spiral
From this reading I nodded; the room was whirling about me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Did he tell you like a man in love?”
Chapter 2 of The step on the stair by Anna Katharine Green holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The step on the stair, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The step on the stair by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 step on the stair by Anna Katharine Green 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 step on the stair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The step on the stair 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 step on the stair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
