Chapter 2 of Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT. "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing. "It can't be," I replied. "Indade, mum, and it is. There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
Chapter 2 of Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading “"THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “"THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.”
failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to
From this reading “"THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.”
possessive form of “oil” — a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water
From this reading “"THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.”
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading “There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.”
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading “"THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “"THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.”
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 isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Indade, mum, and it is.
react verbally
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It can't be," I replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It can't be," I replied.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Indade, mum, and it is.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Indade, mum, and it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It can't be," I replied.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT.
failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
possessive form of “oil” — a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "It can't be," I replied.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There isn't the full of a lamp left," was the positive answer.
in or at the place that
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
which person or people
From this reading "THE oil's out, mum," said Hannah, the domestic who succeeded Kitty, pushing her head into the room where I sat sewing.
Chapter 2 of Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 119 sentences of Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #4622, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 340 minutes of reading across 816 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
