Chapter 2 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself. Suppose—” “Ah! When you begin supposing!” The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again. “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
Chapter 2 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “When you begin supposing!””
lacking funds
From this reading “She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.”
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.”
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading “The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.”
express a supposition
From this reading “Suppose—” “Ah!”
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading “When you begin supposing!””
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading “The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.”
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 The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suppose—” “Ah!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading When you begin supposing!”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
lacking funds
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
a young female
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
express a supposition
From this reading Suppose—” “Ah!
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading When you begin supposing!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You mean that if it does not matter enough, one had better not do it at all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The girl confronted him; she had torn the sketch again.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading She broke in: “I don't want always to be thinking of myself.
at the time that
From this reading When you begin supposing!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When you begin supposing!”
Chapter 2 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 217 sentences of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7123 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2639 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2639, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 593 minutes of reading across 1425 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Villa Rubein, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories 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 Villa Rubein, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
