Chapter 2 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her! Where else do you suppose? Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?' 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery. 'If I were mummy I'd travel.'
Chapter 2 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
give a benediction to
From this reading “'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!”
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading “'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.”
give expression to
From this reading “'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.”
a native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
From this reading “Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'”
as might be expected
From this reading “Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'”
a child's room for a baby
From this reading “'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “'If I were mummy I'd travel.'”
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.
in a poignant or touching manner
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
give a benediction to
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
a youthful male person
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
dearly loved
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Where else do you suppose?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where else do you suppose?
give expression to
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
a native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'If I were mummy I'd travel.'
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'If I were mummy I'd travel.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
as might be expected
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
not any; not one
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
a child's room for a baby
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
express a supposition
From this reading Where else do you suppose?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'If I were mummy I'd travel.'
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 'If I were mummy I'd travel.'
in or at the place that
From this reading Where else do you suppose?
which person or people
From this reading 'Oh, I don't know,' said Geordie, who had no reply ready that would express affectingly the desolation of the nursery.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
an affirmative
From this reading 'Yes, in Paris, my dear--God bless her!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Where else do you suppose?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Geordie my boy, where should _you_ think your mummy would naturally be?'
Chapter 2 of A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of A London Life, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5410 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25500 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25500, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A London Life, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of A London Life, and Other Tales 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 London Life, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
