Chapter 2 of Caprice is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Caprice is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Thank heaven! There, by that pillar, was a vacant place. She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream. The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired. “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
Chapter 2 of Caprice is here in full — 422 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.
small rounded bread either plain or sweet
From this reading ““Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.””
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading ““Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.””
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.”
past form of “grace” — make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading “The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.”
plural of “mirror” — polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.”
a fundamental principle or practice
From this reading “There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.”
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading “There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading ““Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.””
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.
In this reading “There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.”
In this reading “She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.”
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 There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
small rounded bread either plain or sweet
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
past form of “grace” — make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Thank heaven!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
plural of “mirror” — polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
a fundamental principle or practice
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Thank heaven!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She sank down on to the edge of a crowded couch, as in a dream.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The tall mirrors that graced the walls told her she was tired.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There, by that pillar, was a vacant place.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Bring me some China tea,” she murmured to a passing waiter, “and a bun with currants in it.”
Chapter 2 of Caprice by Ronald Firbank holds 422 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 422 sentences of Caprice, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Caprice by Ronald Firbank exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 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 Caprice by Ronald Firbank on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2064 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70073 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70073, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 172 minutes of reading across 413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Caprice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Caprice 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 Caprice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
