Chapter 2 of Woodburn Grange is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Woodburn Grange is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE. In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers. From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent. Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it. But that is the fate of ancestry.
Chapter 2 of Woodburn Grange is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
the descendants of one individual
From this reading “But that is the fate of ancestry.”
an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
From this reading “Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.”
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading “From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.”
all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading “From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.”
kept in good condition
From this reading “From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.”
plural of “pauper” — a person who is very poor
From this reading “In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.”
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading “Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.”
having undisturbed continuity
From this reading “From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.”
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 “From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
the descendants of one individual
From this reading But that is the fate of ancestry.
an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But that is the fate of ancestry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading But that is the fate of ancestry.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But that is the fate of ancestry.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
kept in good condition
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
plural of “pauper” — a person who is very poor
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
any competition
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST OF A NEW LINE.
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In Great Castleborough there lived a race of paupers.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
having undisturbed continuity
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like that of many a more worldly-favoured race, theirs was a descent; it had nothing of an ascent in it.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading From the year of the 42nd of Elizabeth, or 1601, down to the present generation, this race maintained an uninterrupted descent.
Chapter 2 of Woodburn Grange by William Howitt holds 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 259 sentences of Woodburn Grange, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Woodburn Grange by William Howitt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Woodburn Grange by William Howitt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69640 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69640, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 206 minutes of reading across 497 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Woodburn Grange section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Woodburn Grange 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 Woodburn Grange, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
