Chapter 2 of De Profundis is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of De Profundis is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I need not say that my task does not end there. It would be comparatively easy if it did. There is much more before me. I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through. And I have to get it all out of myself.
Chapter 2 of De Profundis is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.”
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading “It would be comparatively easy if it did.”
comparative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading “I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.”
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “It would be comparatively easy if it did.”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.”
a vessel (usually a pot or vat) used for steeping
From this reading “I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.”
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “I need not say that my task does not end there.”
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.”
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.
(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 And I have to get it all out of myself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I have to get it all out of myself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading There is much more before me.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
comparative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And I have to get it all out of myself.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is much more before me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There is much more before me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There is much more before me.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There is much more before me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading And I have to get it all out of myself.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And I have to get it all out of myself.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And I have to get it all out of myself.
go across or through
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
express in words
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
a vessel (usually a pot or vat) used for steeping
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I need not say that my task does not end there.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading I have hills far steeper to climb, valleys much darker to pass through.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be comparatively easy if it did.
Chapter 2 of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 155 sentences of De Profundis, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 De Profundis by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #921 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #921, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 63 minutes of reading across 153 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through De Profundis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of De Profundis 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 De Profundis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
