Chapter 2 of Toilers of Babylon: A Novel is here in full — 570 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 Toilers of Babylon: A Novel is here in full — 570 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally. The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark. When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep. "Father!" she said, bending over him. He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.
Chapter 2 of Toilers of Babylon: A Novel is here in full — 570 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/114 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.”
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading “"Father!" she said, bending over him.”
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading “He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading “Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.”
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, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.”
In this reading “Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.”
In this reading “When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.”
In this reading “He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.”
In this reading “When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
in a state of sleep
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading "Father!" she said, bending over him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Father!" she said, bending over him.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Father!" she said, bending over him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Father!" she said, bending over him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Father!" she said, bending over him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He opened his eyes instantly, and smiled at her.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Nansie walked on, turning the letter in her hand, and glancing at it occasionally.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
at the time that
From this reading When, at the end of twenty minutes, she stood by her father's side, he was asleep.
the act of creating written works
From this reading The writing was strange to her, and on the envelope was the London post-mark.
Chapter 2 of Toilers of Babylon: A Novel by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 570 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 570 sentences of Toilers of Babylon: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Toilers of Babylon: A Novel by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 570 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 Toilers of Babylon: A Novel by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7656 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42974 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42974, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1532 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Toilers of Babylon: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Toilers of Babylon: A Novel 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 Toilers of Babylon: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
