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To Lhassa at Last
To Lhassa at Last

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of To Lhassa at Last is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Powell Millington • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for To Lhassa at Last
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.
'Yes, delightful,' she said.
It really was rather nice.
It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.
My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

To Lhassa at Last

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of To Lhassa at Last is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.
Line 2
'Yes, delightful,' she said.
/jes dɪˈlaɪtfəl ʃiː sed/
Line 3
It really was rather nice.
/ɪt ˈrɪli wɑːz ˈræðər naɪs/
Line 4
It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.
/ɪt hæd bɪn kwaɪt hɑːt ɪn ðə pleɪnz ənd wɑːz ˈplezəntli kuːl ʌp hiːr/
Line 5
My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.
/maɪ waɪf ənd ˈfæməli hæd prɪˈsiːdɪd miː ənd hæd bɪn ˈsetəld fɔːr sʌm wiːks ɪn ðə haʊs wɪtʃ wiː hæd ˈteɪkən ɪn ðə hɪlz fɔːr ðə hɑːt ˈweðər ənd naʊ aɪ hæd dʒʌst ərˈaɪvd ɑːn tuː mʌnθs liːv/

Learner Dictionary

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.

cool adjective US /kuːl/

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading “It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
delightful adjective US /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading “'Yes, delightful,' she said.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
plains noun US /pleɪnz/

plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land

From this reading “It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pleasantly adverb US /ˈplezəntli/

in a cheerful manner

From this reading “It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
preceded verb US /prɪˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading “My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ripping adjective US /ˈrɪpɪŋ/

resembling a sound of violent tearing as of something ripped apart or lightning splitting a tree

From this reading “THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weather noun US /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading “My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
writing noun US /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading “THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

hot weather adjective + noun

a period of unusually high temperatures

In this reading “My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.”

1,705 times in 426,211 chapters
two months' noun + noun counted as “two month”

In this reading “My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.”

11,736 times in 426,211 chapters
rather nice adverb + adjective

In this reading “It really was rather nice.”

712 times in 426,211 chapters
ON THE WALL preposition + article + noun counted as “on … wall”

In this reading “THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.”

15,702 times in 426,211 chapters
some weeks adjective + noun counted as “some week”

In this reading “My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.”

4,083 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

Ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Pending verification
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cooladjectiveUS /kuːl/

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
delightfuladjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading 'Yes, delightful,' she said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It really was rather nice.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading It really was rather nice.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
plainsnounUS /pleɪnz/

plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pleasantlyadverbUS /ˈplezəntli/

in a cheerful manner

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
precededverbUS /prɪˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading It really was rather nice.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading It really was rather nice.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rippingadjectiveUS /ˈrɪpɪŋ/

resembling a sound of violent tearing as of something ripped apart or lightning splitting a tree

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
settledadjectiveUS /ˈsetəld/

established or decided beyond dispute or doubt

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading 'Yes, delightful,' she said.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It had been quite hot in the plains, and was pleasantly cool up here.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WALLnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It really was rather nice.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
weathernounUS /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weeksnounUS /wiːks/

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading My wife and family had preceded me and had been settled for some weeks in the house which we had taken in the hills for the hot weather, and now I had just arrived on two months' leave.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WRITINGnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading THE WRITING ON THE WALL 'Ain't this ripping?' said I to my wife.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading 'Yes, delightful,' she said.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 2 of To Lhassa at Last by Powell Millington holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

What does chapter 2 of To Lhassa at Last contain?

Chapter 2 holds 53 sentences of To Lhassa at Last, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of To Lhassa at Last by Powell Millington exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of To Lhassa at Last?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading To Lhassa at Last

Common questions about reading To Lhassa at Last by Powell Millington on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of To Lhassa at Last?

Yes. All 1440 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32752 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of To Lhassa at Last is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #32752, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does To Lhassa at Last take to read?

About 120 minutes of reading across 288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read To Lhassa at Last section by section

How to work through To Lhassa at Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of To Lhassa at Last to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in To Lhassa at Last

Words and structures a reader meets early in To Lhassa at Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Typographical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of To Lhassa at Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Punctuation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of To Lhassa at Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Errors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of To Lhassa at Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corrected
A word that appears in the opening chapter of To Lhassa at Last; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.