Chapter 2 of Becket and other plays is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Becket and other plays is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BECKET. Am I the man? My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom. HERBERT. Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
Chapter 2 of Becket and other plays is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 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.
plural of “apostle” — an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
From this reading “Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.”
(Roman Catholic Church) archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170; murdered following his opposition to Henry II's attempts to control the clergy (1118-1170)
From this reading “BECKET.”
cause to be bored
From this reading “My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.”
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading “My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.”
an old word for “before”
From this reading “My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.”
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
From this reading “My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “HERBERT.”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Am I the man?
plural of “apostle” — an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
(Roman Catholic Church) archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170; murdered following his opposition to Henry II's attempts to control the clergy (1118-1170)
From this reading BECKET.
cause to be bored
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
an old word for “before”
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading HERBERT.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Am I the man?
moving to the inside of something
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Am I the man?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Am I the man?
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.
Chapter 2 of Becket and other plays by Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Becket and other plays, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Becket and other plays by Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Becket and other plays by Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Becket and other plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Becket and other plays 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 Becket and other plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
