Chapter 2 of Will of the Mill is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Will of the Mill is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then we should have been sure to meet him." "Why?" said Will. "Because he would have come this way. It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs. Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
Chapter 2 of Will of the Mill is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.”
plural of “bog” — wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
From this reading “It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."”
come together
From this reading “"Then we should have been sure to meet him."”
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading “Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."”
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."”
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 Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
for the reason that
From this reading "Because he would have come this way.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
plural of “bog” — wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Because he would have come this way.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Because he would have come this way.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
come together
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
on one occasion
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
and nothing more
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why?" said Will.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
in or at or to some place
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It's the only safe one, on account of the bogs.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Because he would have come this way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Because he would have come this way.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Then we should have been sure to meet him."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Somewhere near here a man and a horse were swallowed up once."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?" said Will.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Why?" said Will.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Because he would have come this way.
Chapter 2 of Will of the Mill by George Manville Fenn holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of Will of the Mill, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Will of the Mill by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Will of the Mill by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2451 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21376 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21376, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 204 minutes of reading across 491 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Will of the Mill section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Will of the Mill 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 Will of the Mill, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
