Chapter 2 of The Water Ghost and Others is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Water Ghost and Others is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl. "Ain't she coming this afternoon?" "I really can't say," answered Mugley. "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts. She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
Chapter 2 of The Water Ghost and Others is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “"The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.”
a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
From this reading “"The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.”
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading “"The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.”
plural of “salt” — a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading “"I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."”
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading “She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."”
plural of “upset” — an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading “She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."”
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “"The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.”
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 She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "Ain't she coming this afternoon?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ain't she coming this afternoon?"
(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 "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I really can't say," answered Mugley.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I really can't say," answered Mugley.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Ain't she coming this afternoon?"
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I really can't say," answered Mugley.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I really can't say," answered Mugley.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
on the contrary
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I really can't say," answered Mugley.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
plural of “salt” — a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
express in words
From this reading "I really can't say," answered Mugley.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ain't she coming this afternoon?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Ain't she coming this afternoon?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
plural of “upset” — an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading She's a little given to fainting-spells, and the slightest shock rather upsets her."
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading "The countess is in her usual state of health, Mr. Terwilliger," returned the earl.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I asked her if she was coming, and all she did was to call for her salts.
Chapter 2 of The Water Ghost and Others by John Kendrick Bangs holds 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 485 sentences of The Water Ghost and Others, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Water Ghost and Others by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 Water Ghost and Others by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1918 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8377 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8377, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 384 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Water Ghost and Others section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Water Ghost and Others 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 Water Ghost and Others, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
