Chapter 2 of Violists is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Violists is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Good evening, Professor." Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again. He continued walking. When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly. Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
Chapter 2 of Violists is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 keen or penetrating way
From this reading “Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.”
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.”
quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception
From this reading “Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.”
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “"Good evening, Professor."”
past form of “slow” — lose velocity; move more slowly
From this reading “Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd 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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
anew
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
without stop or interruption
From this reading He continued walking.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "Good evening, Professor."
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good evening, Professor."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading "Good evening, Professor."
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
past form of “slow” — lose velocity; move more slowly
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
in the direction of
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Gretchen thought that he slowed for a second or two, but she felt acutely embarrassed to be observing him too closely, and looked away toward the crowd again.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading He continued walking.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Into the thick of the crowd she plunged, and went out through the lobby.
at the time that
From this reading When the professor had passed, Gretchen let out her breath slowly.
Chapter 2 of Violists by Richard McGowan holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 204 sentences of Violists, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Violists by Richard McGowan exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Violists by Richard McGowan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #112, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 117 minutes of reading across 283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Violists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Violists 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 Violists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
