Chapter 2 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it. I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek. And so—I have plain days.” “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Chapter 2 of Comedies and Errors is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading ““I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.”
a partially opened flower
From this reading “I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.”
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading ““I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.”
the condition of being concealed or hidden
From this reading “I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.”
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading ““I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.”
a table linen made from linen with a damask pattern
From this reading “I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.”
provide as food
From this reading “I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.”
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.”
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 ““You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.””
In this reading ““You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.””
be sustained by
In this reading “I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.”
In this reading ““You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.””
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 I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
(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 “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And so—I have plain days.”
confidently declared to be so
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
a partially opened flower
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
the condition of being concealed or hidden
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
a table linen made from linen with a damask pattern
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading And so—I have plain days.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
at any time
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
provide as food
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And so—I have plain days.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
used to form the superlative
From this reading “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading And so—I have plain days.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I’m serious enough, in all conscience,” said she, “but I conceal it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so—I have plain days.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading I let concealment, like a worm in the bud, feed on my damask cheek.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I don’t believe you’ve ever had a plain day in your life,” asserted I.
Chapter 2 of Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Comedies and Errors, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Comedies and Errors by Henry Harland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5726 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 477 minutes of reading across 1146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Comedies and Errors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Comedies and Errors 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 Comedies and Errors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
