Chapter 2 of The Thing from the Lake is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Thing from the Lake is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks." --SHELLEY (_Trans._). It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk. It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight. Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
Chapter 2 of The Thing from the Lake is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
the act of waking
From this reading “Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.”
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading “"Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading “Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.”
third-person singular of “excel” — distinguish oneself
From this reading “"Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."”
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading “It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.”
English writer who created Frankenstein's monster and married Percy Bysshe Shelley (1797-1851)
From this reading “--SHELLEY (_Trans._).”
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading “It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.”
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading “It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.”
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 It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
(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 "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
the act of waking
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
divisible by two
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
third-person singular of “excel” — distinguish oneself
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
a particular point in time
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
as might be expected
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
making no sound
From this reading It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
English writer who created Frankenstein's monster and married Percy Bysshe Shelley (1797-1851)
From this reading --SHELLEY (_Trans._).
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
with suavity; in a suave manner
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
a special situation
From this reading It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading It trailed suavely through my fingers, slipping across my palm like a belt of silk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --SHELLEY (_Trans._).
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Quite naturally, even in the dazed moment of awakening I closed my hand upon it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It glided with the noiseless haste of a thing in flight.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Beware of her fair hair, for she excels All women in the magic of her locks."
Chapter 2 of The Thing from the Lake by Eleanor M. (Eleanor Marie) Ingram holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 268 sentences of The Thing from the Lake, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Thing from the Lake by Eleanor M. (Eleanor Marie) Ingram exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Thing from the Lake by Eleanor M. (Eleanor Marie) Ingram on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4491 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23738 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23738, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 899 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Thing from the Lake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Thing from the Lake 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 Thing from the Lake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
