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We Two: A Novel
We Two: A Novel

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of We Two: A Novel is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?
Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?
The earth is our workshop.
We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

We Two: A Novel

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of We Two: A Novel is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?
/tuː wʌt ˈpɜːrpəs duː juː prəˈfes tuː bɪˈliːv ɪn ðə ˈjuːnəti ʌv ðə ˈhjuːmən reɪs wɪtʃ ɪz ðə ˈnesəseri ˈkɑːnsəkwəns ʌv ðə ˈjuːnəti ʌv ɡɑːd ɪf juː duː nɑːt straɪv tuː ˈverəfaɪ ɪt baɪ dɪˈstrɔɪɪŋ ðə ˈɑːrbətreri dɪˈvɪʒənz ənd ˈenmətiz ðæt stɪl ˈsepəreɪt ðə ˈdɪfərənt traɪbz ʌv hjuːˈmænɪti/
Line 2
Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?
/waɪ duː wiː tɔːk ʌv frəˈtɜːrnəti waɪl wiː əˈlaʊ ˈeni ʌv ˈaʊər ˈbreðrən tuː biː ˈtræmpəld ɑːn dɪˈɡreɪdəd ɔːr dɪˈspaɪzd/
Line 3
The earth is our workshop.
/ðə ɜːrθ ɪz ˈaʊər ˈwɜːrkʃɑːp/
Line 4
We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.
/wiː meɪ nɑːt kɜːrs ɪt wiː ɑːr baʊnd tuː ˈsæŋktəfaɪ ɪt/
Line 5

Learner Dictionary

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.

arbitrary adjective US /ˈɑːrbətreri/

based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

From this reading “To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?”

divisions noun US /dɪˈvɪʒənz/

plural of “division” — an army unit large enough to sustain combat

From this reading “To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?”

enmities noun US /ˈenmətiz/

plural of “enmity” — a state of deep-seated ill-will

From this reading “To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?”

fraternity noun US /frəˈtɜːrnəti/

a social club for male undergraduates

From this reading “Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?”

profess verb US /prəˈfes/

practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about

From this reading “To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?”

sanctify verb US /ˈsæŋktəfaɪ/

render holy by means of religious rites

From this reading “We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.”

verify verb US /ˈverəfaɪ/

confirm the truth of

From this reading “To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?”

workshop noun US /ˈwɜːrkʃɑːp/

small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done

From this reading “The earth is our workshop.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

allowverbUS /əˈlaʊ/

make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

arbitraryadjectiveUS /ˈɑːrbətreri/

based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

boundadjectiveUS /baʊnd/

confined by bonds

From this reading We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.

brethrennounUS /ˈbreðrən/

(plural) the lay members of a male religious order

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

consequencenounUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwəns/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

cursenounUS /kɜːrs/

profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

From this reading We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.

degradedadjectiveUS /dɪˈɡreɪdəd/

unrestrained by convention or morality

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

despisedadjectiveUS /dɪˈspaɪzd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

destroyingverbUS /dɪˈstrɔɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “destroy” — do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

differentadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfərənt/

unlike in nature or quality or form or degree

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

divisionsnounUS /dɪˈvɪʒənz/

plural of “division” — an army unit large enough to sustain combat

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading The earth is our workshop.

enmitiesnounUS /ˈenmətiz/

plural of “enmity” — a state of deep-seated ill-will

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

fraternitynounUS /frəˈtɜːrnəti/

a social club for male undergraduates

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

humanitynounUS /hjuːˈmænɪti/

the quality of being humane

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.

necessaryadjectiveUS /ˈnesəseri/

absolutely essential

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

professverbUS /prəˈfes/

practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

purposenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəs/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

racenounUS /reɪs/

any competition

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

sanctifyverbUS /ˈsæŋktəfaɪ/

render holy by means of religious rites

From this reading We may not curse it, we are bound to sanctify it.

separateverbUS /ˈsepəreɪt/

act as a barrier between; stand between

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

striveverbUS /straɪv/

attempt by employing effort

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

trampledverbUS /ˈtræmpəld/

past form of “trample” — tread or stomp heavily or roughly

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

tribesnounUS /traɪbz/

plural of “tribe” — a social division of (usually preliterate) people

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

unitynounUS /ˈjuːnəti/

an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

verifyverbUS /ˈverəfaɪ/

confirm the truth of

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why do we talk of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be trampled on, degraded or despised?

workshopnounUS /ˈwɜːrkʃɑːp/

small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done

From this reading The earth is our workshop.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity of the human race, which is the necessary consequence of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still separate the different tribes of humanity?

Chapter 28 of We Two: A Novel by Edna Lyall holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

What does chapter 28 of We Two: A Novel contain?

Chapter 28 holds 122 sentences of We Two: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of We Two: A Novel by Edna Lyall exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

How do I study chapter 28 of We Two: A Novel?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading We Two: A Novel

Common questions about reading We Two: A Novel by Edna Lyall on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of We Two: A Novel?

Yes. All 8847 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2007 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of We Two: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2007, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in We Two: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in We Two: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Still
A word that appears in the opening chapter of We Two: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Humanity
A word that appears in the opening chapter of We Two: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grows
A word that appears in the opening chapter of We Two: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dearer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of We Two: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.