Chapter 2 of A Diary Without Dates is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Diary Without Dates is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly. The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows. Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists. He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master. The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
Chapter 2 of A Diary Without Dates is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
third-person singular of “agree” — be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.”
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading “The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.”
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading “The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.”
plural of “pillow” — a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.”
plural of “settle” — a long wooden bench with a back
From this reading “The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.”
plural of “specialist” — an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning
From this reading “Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.”
the activity of making visits
From this reading “"We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.”
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 “He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.”
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 He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
third-person singular of “agree” — be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
emanating from God
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading He can endure like a dog, but without its faith in its master.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
plural of “pillow” — a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
in a curious and questioning manner
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
plural of “settle” — a long wooden bench with a back
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
plural of “specialist” — an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading Not for him the comfortable trust in the divine knowledge of specialists.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
the activity of making visits
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We might try...?" says the Visiting Officer questioningly.
belonging to which person
From this reading The particular M.O. whose knees are painful is, as a matter of fact, better now.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The M.O. agrees without conviction, and settles back on his pillows.
Chapter 2 of A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold holds 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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 473 sentences of A Diary Without Dates, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1886 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31124 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31124, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 157 minutes of reading across 378 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Diary Without Dates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of A Diary Without Dates 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 A Diary Without Dates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
