Chapter 2 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself. A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it. But I know he did not return home. Instead, he has rambled into the hills again. Now the others are gone.
Chapter 2 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
continual and persistent demands
From this reading “He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.”
showing lack of care for consequences
From this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
past form of “ramble” — continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
From this reading “Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.”
made less in size or amount or degree
From this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
past form of “resent” — feel bitter or indignant about
From this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
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 “But I know he did not return home.”
as might be expected
In this reading “A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.”
In this reading “He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.”
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 A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
anew
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now the others are gone.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I know he did not return home.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But I know he did not return home.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Now the others are gone.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I know he did not return home.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
continual and persistent demands
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
showing lack of care for consequences
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But I know he did not return home.
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 He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But I know he did not return home.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now the others are gone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now the others are gone.
past form of “ramble” — continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
made less in size or amount or degree
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
past form of “resent” — feel bitter or indignant about
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading But I know he did not return home.
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Instead, he has rambled into the hills again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading A soldier, reduced to being treated like an irresponsible infant—of course he resented it.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He left early, insisting he would find his way home by himself.
Chapter 2 of Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Voices from the Past, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11644 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39468 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39468, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2329 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Voices from the Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Voices from the Past 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 Voices from the Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
