Chapter 2 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface. Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians. Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily. Silently they walked back to the ship. Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
Chapter 2 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
past form of “circle” — travel around something
From this reading “Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.”
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading “They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.”
plural of “gull” — a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading “Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.”
-ing form of “hose” — water with a hose
From this reading “Two of the men were hosing down the deck.”
plural of “raven” — large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail
From this reading “Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.”
without speaking
From this reading “Silently they walked back to the ship.”
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading “They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.”
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.”
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.
weather unsuitable for outdoor activities
In this reading “Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.”
In this reading “They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.”
In this reading “Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.”
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 Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Silently they walked back to the ship.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
past form of “circle” — travel around something
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
in a cheerless manner
From this reading Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
plural of “gull” — a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
-ing form of “hose” — water with a hose
From this reading Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
the force of workers available
From this reading Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
plural of “raven” — large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail
From this reading Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Among the sharp rocks the ravens croaked drearily.
transport commercially
From this reading Silently they walked back to the ship.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
without speaking
From this reading Silently they walked back to the ship.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Sea gulls circled high above them, a sign of bad weather according to the Indians.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Two of the men were hosing down the deck.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading They walked along the road, their feet grinding the wet cinder-like surface.
Chapter 2 of Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of Williwaw: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66691 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66691, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Williwaw: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Williwaw: A Novel 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 Williwaw: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
