Chapter 2 of Armadale is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Armadale is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Do you give me your promise?” “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.” “Take your condition, and keep your promise. My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time. She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
Chapter 2 of Armadale is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a state at a particular time
From this reading ““If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.””
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.”
placed crosswise
From this reading “She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.”
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading “She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.”
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading ““If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.””
make a promise or commitment
From this reading ““Do you give me your promise?””
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 She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Take your condition, and keep your promise.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
a state at a particular time
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
placed crosswise
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you give me your promise?”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Do you give me your promise?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
and nothing more
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Take your condition, and keep your promise.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Do you give me your promise?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “Do you give me your promise?”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She crossed the room eagerly to fetch the desk from a chair in a corner.
term of address for a man
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
carry out
From this reading “Take your condition, and keep your promise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading My desk,” he added, looking at his wife for the first time.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “If you want my promise, sir, I will give it--subject to the condition I have just named.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you give me your promise?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you give me your promise?”
Chapter 2 of Armadale by Wilkie Collins holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Armadale, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Armadale by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Armadale by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 16166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1895 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1895, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3234 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Armadale section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Armadale 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 Armadale, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
