Chapter 2 of A Living Lie is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Living Lie is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box. 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab. 'What a place to live in! You needn't trouble to get down. The pavement's dry--I'll walk.'
Chapter 2 of A Living Lie is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading “A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.”
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.”
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading “A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.”
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “The pavement's dry--I'll walk.'”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading “A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.”
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading “'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.”
of or associated with a province
From this reading “A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.”
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.
live in the house where one works
In this reading “'What a place to live in!”
lower (one's body) as by kneeling
In this reading “You needn't trouble to get down.”
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 A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading The pavement's dry--I'll walk.'
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading You needn't trouble to get down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The pavement's dry--I'll walk.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'What a place to live in!
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading 'What a place to live in!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You needn't trouble to get down.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The pavement's dry--I'll walk.'
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading 'What a place to live in!
of or associated with a province
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
term of address for a man
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A PROVINCIAL CORNER OF PARIS 'The gates are closed, sir,' said the driver, bending down from his box.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'What a place to live in!
a source of difficulty
From this reading You needn't trouble to get down.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading 'Closed at half-past nine!' exclaimed a voice from the interior of the cab.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading The pavement's dry--I'll walk.'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What a place to live in!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You needn't trouble to get down.
Chapter 2 of A Living Lie by Paul Bourget holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 131 sentences of A Living Lie, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Living Lie by Paul Bourget exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Living Lie by Paul Bourget on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4914 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65887 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65887, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 409 minutes of reading across 983 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Living Lie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of A Living Lie 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 Living Lie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
