And Even Now

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of And Even Now is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Max, Sir Beerbohm • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

1910.

It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

Whenever I start on a journey, I find that my choice lies between well-printed books which I have no wish to read, and well-written books which I could not read without permanent injury to my eyesight.

The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/35

And Even Now

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of And Even Now is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

Line 2

1910.

Line 3

It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

Line 4

Line 5

The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

Learner Dictionary

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.

cater verb US /ˈkeɪtər/

give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance

From this reading “It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.”

eyesight noun US /ˈaɪsaɪt/

normal use of the faculty of vision

From this reading “Whenever I start on a journey, I find that my choice lies between well-printed books which I have no wish to read, and well-written books which I could not read without permanent injury to my eyesight.”

Fen noun US /fen/

100 fen equal 1 yuan in China

From this reading “The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.”

keeper noun US /ˈkiːpər/

someone in charge of other people

permanent adjective US /ˈpɜːrmənənt/

continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place

shelves noun US /ʃelvz/

Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.

suggests verb US /səˈdʒests/

third-person singular of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something

travellers noun US /ˈtrævələrz/

plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location

From this reading “It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

1910

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 1910.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Whenever I start on a journey, I find that my choice lies between well-printed books which I have no wish to read, and well-written books which I could not read without permanent injury to my eyesight.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

BloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

bookstallnoun

a shop where books are sold

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

caterverbUS /ˈkeɪtər/

give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

choicenounUS /tʃɔɪs/

the person or thing chosen or selected

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

CountrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

else

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

eyesightnounUS /ˈaɪsaɪt/

normal use of the faculty of vision

FannynounUS /ˈfæni/

the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

FennounUS /fen/

100 fen equal 1 yuan in China

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

gazenounUS /ɡeɪz/

a long fixed look

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

HOW

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading ‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

injurynounUS /ˈɪndʒəri/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

ITpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

keepernounUS /ˈkiːpər/

someone in charge of other people

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

permanentadjectiveUS /ˈpɜːrmənənt/

continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place

railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

SHALLmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading ‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

shelvesnounUS /ʃelvz/

Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

startverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

suggestsverbUS /səˈdʒests/

third-person singular of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

TracknounUS /træk/

a line or route along which something travels or moves

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

travellersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/

plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/

in a vague way

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

well-printed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

well-written

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

WheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The keeper of the bookstall, seeing me gaze vaguely along his shelves, suggests that I should take ‘Fen Country Fanny’ or else ‘The Track of Blood’ and have done with it.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

WORDnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading ‘HOW SHALL I WORD IT?’

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It would seem that I am one of those travellers for whom the railway bookstall does not cater.

Chapter 2 of And Even Now by Max, Sir Beerbohm holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

What does chapter 2 of And Even Now contain?

Chapter 2 holds 177 sentences of And Even Now, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of And Even Now by Max, Sir Beerbohm exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of And Even Now?

Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 36 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading And Even Now

Common questions about reading And Even Now by Max, Sir Beerbohm on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of And Even Now?

Yes. All 3480 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1956 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of And Even Now is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1956, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 290 minutes of reading across 696 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter II · Chapter 2

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