Chapter 2 of The Valley of Gold is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Valley of Gold is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Just so. Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me. But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person." Now it was his eyes that opened wide. "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
Chapter 2 of The Valley of Gold is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
be composed of
From this reading “Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.”
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “"I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.”
be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading “But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."”
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading “But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."”
the people who inhabit a territory or state
From this reading “Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “"I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.”
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading “But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."”
in a wise manner
From this reading “"I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.”
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——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."”
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 "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
be composed of
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
and nothing more
From this reading "Just so.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
absolutely essential
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
information about recent and important events
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
a human being
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
a separate part of a whole
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
the people who inhabit a territory or state
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Just so.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But——" "You may not be called upon to forego the society of this so immensely necessary person."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
during the time that
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Now it was his eyes that opened wide.
in a wise manner
From this reading "I have a piece of big news for you," continued Mary, shaking her head wisely while she enjoyed his surprise.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Since you comprise the population of Pellawa—for me.
Chapter 2 of The Valley of Gold by David Howarth holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of The Valley of Gold, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Valley of Gold by David Howarth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Valley of Gold by David Howarth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5109 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55645 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55645, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Valley of Gold section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Valley of Gold 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 Valley of Gold, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
