Chapter 2 of Dolly Dialogues is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Dolly Dialogues is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.” “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued. “The cat is that,” said I. “I would not give a fig for it.” “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
Chapter 2 of Dolly Dialogues is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading ““I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.””
not functioning properly
From this reading ““I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.””
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading ““The cat is that,” said I.”
a widow holding property received from her deceased husband
From this reading ““And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.””
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading ““I would not give a fig for it.””
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading ““And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.””
unusualness as a consequence of not being well known
From this reading ““I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.””
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading ““And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.””
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 agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
not functioning properly
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “The cat is that,” said I.
without stop or interruption
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
a widow holding property received from her deceased husband
From this reading “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “I would not give a fig for it.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I would not give a fig for it.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “I would not give a fig for it.”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I would not give a fig for it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
a slight but appreciable amount
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Of course it’s nice to be one of the family,” she continued.
unusualness as a consequence of not being well known
From this reading “I agree,” said I, “that a soupcon of unfamiliarity is not amiss.”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “And the Dowager taught me the ways of the house.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “I would not give a fig for it.”
Chapter 2 of Dolly Dialogues by Anthony Hope holds 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 299 sentences of Dolly Dialogues, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Dolly Dialogues by Anthony Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Dolly Dialogues by Anthony Hope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1763 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dolly Dialogues section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Dolly Dialogues 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 Dolly Dialogues, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
