Chapter 2 of Comic Tragedies is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Comic Tragedies is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Louis. I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood. I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee. [_Exit_ Louis. Rod.
Chapter 2 of Comic Tragedies is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an opening that permits escape or release
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.”
plural of “gather” — sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching
From this reading “I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.”
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading “Louis.”
possessive form of “murderer” — a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading “I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.”
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “Rod.”
a soiled or discolored appearance
From this reading “I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.”
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.”
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 “I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.”
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 will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading [_Exit_ Louis.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
plural of “gather” — sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
go away from a place
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading Louis.
possessive form of “murderer” — a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading Rod.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
a soiled or discolored appearance
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I leave thee to the fate that gathers round thee.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I will not stain my weapon with a murderer's blood.
Chapter 2 of Comic Tragedies by Louisa May Alcott holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Comic Tragedies, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Comic Tragedies by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Comic Tragedies by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4770 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33986 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33986, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 397 minutes of reading across 954 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Comic Tragedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Comic Tragedies 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 Comic Tragedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
