Chapter 2 of Confessions of an Etonian is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Confessions of an Etonian is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor. "Nine, if you please, sir." "Can you do sense-verses?" "No, sir, only nonsense ones." "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
Chapter 2 of Confessions of an Etonian is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
yet to be or coming
From this reading “"How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.”
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading “"How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.”
the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading “"Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “"Nine, if you please, sir."”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"No, sir, only nonsense ones."”
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “"No, sir, only nonsense ones."”
be a tutor to someone; give individual instruction
From this reading “"How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.”
the topmost one of two
From this reading “"Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.”
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 you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can you do sense-verses?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Can you do sense-verses?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
yet to be or coming
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Nine, if you please, sir."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading "Nine, if you please, sir."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir, only nonsense ones."
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "No, sir, only nonsense ones."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "No, sir, only nonsense ones."
and nothing more
From this reading "No, sir, only nonsense ones."
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Nine, if you please, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can you do sense-verses?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "Nine, if you please, sir."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
be a tutor to someone; give individual instruction
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
the topmost one of two
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, you are placed in the upper Greek; be in eight-o'clock-school to-morrow.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How old are you, Graham?" asked my future tutor.
Chapter 2 of Confessions of an Etonian by I. E. M. holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 75 sentences of Confessions of an Etonian, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Confessions of an Etonian by I. E. M. exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Confessions of an Etonian by I. E. M. on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19405 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19405, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 86 minutes of reading across 209 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Confessions of an Etonian section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Confessions of an Etonian 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 Confessions of an Etonian, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
