Chapter 2 of Celibates is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Celibates is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her. Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.' 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe. I did believe, but I had not thought much then. Remember, I was only eighteen.'
Chapter 2 of Celibates is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading “'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.”
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading “Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'”
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading “The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.”
with firmness
From this reading “The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.”
being one more than seventeen
From this reading “Remember, I was only eighteen.'”
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading “Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'”
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'”
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 Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I did believe, but I had not thought much then.
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
with firmness
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did believe, but I had not thought much then.
being one more than seventeen
From this reading Remember, I was only eighteen.'
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I did believe, but I had not thought much then.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I did believe, but I had not thought much then.
not any; not one
From this reading 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
and nothing more
From this reading Remember, I was only eighteen.'
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
To recall to mind.
From this reading Remember, I was only eighteen.'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I did believe, but I had not thought much then.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading 'No, Alfred, I tried to believe.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
the words that are spoken
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The words were spoken so decisively that he knew he would not succeed in changing her.
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then his face grew pale with anger, and he said: 'Then everything you've said--all your promises--everything was a lie, a wretched lie.'
Chapter 2 of Celibates by George Moore holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Celibates, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Celibates by George Moore exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Celibates by George Moore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6830 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6005 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6005, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 569 minutes of reading across 1366 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Celibates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Celibates 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 Celibates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
