Chapter 2 of An ideal husband is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of An ideal husband is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. CHEVELEY. That you must not do. In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that. SIR ROBERT CHILTERN.
Chapter 2 of An ideal husband is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “MRS.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
have ownership or possession of
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
express in words
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
term of address for a man
From this reading “In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHEVELEY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SIR ROBERT CHILTERN.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading That you must not do.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading That you must not do.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading That you must not do.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
express in words
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
term of address for a man
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That you must not do.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That you must not do.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading In your own interests, Sir Robert, to say nothing of mine, you must not do that.
Chapter 2 of An ideal husband by Oscar Wilde holds 299 sentences, grouped into 60 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 299 sentences of An ideal husband, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of An ideal husband by Oscar Wilde exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 An ideal husband by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3526 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #885, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 706 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An ideal husband section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of An ideal husband 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 An ideal husband, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
