Chapter 2 of Washington Square is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Washington Square is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness. Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red. “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy. “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk. I will find a good place to sit.”
Chapter 2 of Washington Square is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.”
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading ““Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.”
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading ““Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.”
only a very short time before
From this reading ““Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.”
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading ““Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.”
be seated
From this reading ““Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading ““Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.”
United States social reformer who proposed an old-age pension sponsored by the federal government; his plan was a precursor to Social Security (1867-1960)
From this reading ““Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.”
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 “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
(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 Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
an occurrence of something
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I will find a good place to sit.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I will find a good place to sit.”
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
only a very short time before
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will find a good place to sit.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
engage in
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I will find a good place to sit.”
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
be seated
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
not in physical motion
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I will find a good place to sit.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
United States social reformer who proposed an old-age pension sponsored by the federal government; his plan was a precursor to Social Security (1867-1960)
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then Catherine looked up at him; he was certainly beautiful, and not at all red.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Ah, well, in that case,” said Mr. Townsend, “we will sit still and talk.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” she said; she hardly knew why, for dancing had never made her dizzy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Does it make you dizzy?” he asked, in a tone of great kindness.
Chapter 2 of Washington Square by Henry James holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 191 sentences of Washington Square, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Washington Square by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Washington Square by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3988 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2870 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2870, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 332 minutes of reading across 798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Washington Square section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Washington Square 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 Washington Square, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
