Chapter 2 of The Way of Decision is here in full — 426 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 Way of Decision is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Betsy cocked her head and studied him. There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children. "Why has it upset you?" she asked. "Upset me?" Tom seemed surprised.
Chapter 2 of The Way of Decision is here in full — 426 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.
past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side
From this reading “Betsy cocked her head and studied him.”
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading “There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.”
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading “There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.”
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading “Betsy cocked her head and studied him.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “Tom seemed surprised.”
male cat
From this reading “Tom seemed surprised.”
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading “"Why has it upset you?" she asked.”
under normal conditions
From this reading “There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.”
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 There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why has it upset you?" she asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why has it upset you?" she asked.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Why has it upset you?" she asked.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Upset me?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Tom seemed surprised.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading Betsy cocked her head and studied him.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Tom seemed surprised.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
male cat
From this reading Tom seemed surprised.
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading "Why has it upset you?" she asked.
under normal conditions
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a soft look in her eyes of the sort she usually saved for the children.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why has it upset you?" she asked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why has it upset you?" she asked.
Chapter 2 of The Way of Decision by M. C. Pease holds 426 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 426 sentences of The Way of Decision, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Way of Decision by M. C. Pease exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 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 Way of Decision by M. C. Pease on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 860 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37572 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37572, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 71 minutes of reading across 172 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Way of Decision section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Way of Decision 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 Way of Decision, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
