Chapter 2 of A Modern Wizard is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Modern Wizard is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JACK BARNES INVESTIGATES. Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority. He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant. But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity. His one ambition was to be a detective.
Chapter 2 of A Modern Wizard is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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 act of acquiring something
From this reading “But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.”
a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading “He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.”
achieved or reached
From this reading “Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.”
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading “He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.”
third-person singular of “investigate” — investigate scientifically
From this reading “JACK BARNES INVESTIGATES.”
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading “Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.”
engage in a rehearsal
From this reading “But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.”
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.
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 His one ambition was to be a detective.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
the performance of a part or role in a drama
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
a cherished desire
From this reading His one ambition was to be a detective.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
great and constant diligence and attention
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
achieved or reached
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JACK BARNES INVESTIGATES.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading His one ambition was to be a detective.
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading His one ambition was to be a detective.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
at any time
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
third-person singular of “investigate” — investigate scientifically
From this reading JACK BARNES INVESTIGATES.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
a small worthless amount
From this reading JACK BARNES INVESTIGATES.
and nothing more
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
not any; not one
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His one ambition was to be a detective.
engage in a rehearsal
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Jack Barnes, at this time, had just attained his majority.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But it was by no means his intention ever to practise the profession, which he was acquiring with much assiduity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was studying law with Messrs. Dudley & Bliss, and acting as their office assistant.
Chapter 2 of A Modern Wizard by Rodrigues Ottolengui holds 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 280 sentences of A Modern Wizard, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Modern Wizard by Rodrigues Ottolengui exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Modern Wizard by Rodrigues Ottolengui on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7010 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32985, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 584 minutes of reading across 1402 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Wizard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of A Modern Wizard 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 Modern Wizard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
