Chapter 2 of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India is here in full — 569 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India is here in full — 569 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump! Thump! Thump!” “Who is there?” said the Porter. “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
Chapter 2 of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India is here in full — 569 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/113 · 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 bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
fearless and daring
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
with relatively high volume
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading ““Who is there?” said the Porter.”
move rhythmically
From this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
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 “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
In this reading “When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!”
In this reading ““General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.”
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.
anew
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
fearless and daring
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who is there?” said the Porter.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
with relatively high volume
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
engage in
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading “Who is there?” said the Porter.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Who is there?” said the Porter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Who is there?” said the Porter.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
move rhythmically
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
at the time that
From this reading When they reached the outer gate, the bold Blackbird knocked loudly: “Thump!
which person or people
From this reading “Who is there?” said the Porter.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “General Blackbird, who has come to make war upon the King and to get his wife back again,” said the Blackbird.
Chapter 2 of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India by Georgene Faulkner holds 569 sentences, grouped into 114 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 569 sentences of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India by Georgene Faulkner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 569 sentences, grouped into 114 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 114 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 114 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 White Elephant, and Other Tales From India by Georgene Faulkner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1144 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52515, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 95 minutes of reading across 229 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The White Elephant, and Other Tales From India 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 White Elephant, and Other Tales From India, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
