Chapter 2 of The Weight of the Crown is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Weight of the Crown is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried. "How did you find out? Did anybody tell you? But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am." The other girl smiled.
Chapter 2 of The Weight of the Crown is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “Did anybody tell you?”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.”
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading “A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.”
similarity in appearance or character or nature between persons or things
From this reading “A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.”
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “The other girl smiled.”
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading “A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.”
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 “A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.”
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
In this reading “"How did you find out?”
In this reading “The other girl smiled.”
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 A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
any person at all
From this reading Did anybody tell you?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How did you find out?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "How did you find out?
a young female
From this reading The other girl smiled.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How did you find out?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
similarity in appearance or character or nature between persons or things
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other girl smiled.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "How did you find out?
have ownership or possession of
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The other girl smiled.
express in words
From this reading Did anybody tell you?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
which person or people
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading A DESPERATE VENTURE "The likeness is wonderful," Jessie cried.
but in spite of that
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How did you find out?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But you have not mentioned your own name yet, though you know who I am."
Chapter 2 of The Weight of the Crown by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 253 sentences of The Weight of the Crown, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Weight of the Crown by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Weight of the Crown by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6689 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1338 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Weight of the Crown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Weight of the Crown 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 Weight of the Crown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
