Chapter 2 of A Foregone Conclusion is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Foregone Conclusion is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“He’s detestable. He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance. I don’t care what he thinks of me. But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.” “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
Chapter 2 of A Foregone Conclusion is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading “He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.”
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading “He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.”
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading ““I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.”
-ing form of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.”
express a supposition
From this reading ““I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “I don’t care what he thinks of me.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.””
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.
offensive to the mind
From this reading “He’s detestable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He’s detestable.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
-ing form of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading He’s conceited and presuming beyond all endurance.
on the contrary
From this reading “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
in the direction of
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
any of numerous tropical or subtropical American plants of the genus Verbena grown for their showy spikes of variously colored flowers
From this reading “I suppose it’s rather free,” said Mrs. Vervain.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don’t care what he thinks of me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But it’s his manner towards you that I can’t tolerate.”
Chapter 2 of A Foregone Conclusion by William Dean Howells holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of A Foregone Conclusion, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Foregone Conclusion by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Foregone Conclusion by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7839 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7839, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Foregone Conclusion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Foregone Conclusion 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 Foregone Conclusion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
