Chapter 2 of First Plays is here in full — 413 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 First Plays is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm). As long as you don't throw me. GERALD. Pamela, you're talking rubbish. I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
Chapter 2 of First Plays is here in full — 413 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.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading “PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).”
the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
From this reading “I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.”
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.”
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading “Pamela, you're talking rubbish.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “Pamela, you're talking rubbish.”
propel through the air
From this reading “As long as you don't throw me.”
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.”
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 talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As long as you don't throw me.
the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As long as you don't throw me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GERALD.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading As long as you don't throw me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As long as you don't throw me.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading Pamela, you're talking rubbish.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Pamela, you're talking rubbish.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
propel through the air
From this reading As long as you don't throw me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PAMELA (coming to him and taking his arm).
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading I talk a good deal myself, but I do keep within the bounds.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading As long as you don't throw me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pamela, you're talking rubbish.
Chapter 2 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne holds 413 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 413 sentences of First Plays, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 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 First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7805 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7805, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 451 minutes of reading across 1084 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of First Plays 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 First Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
