Chapter 2 of Five Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Five Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so? THIEF No, master. AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief. THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma. AGMAR They went to Marma!
Chapter 2 of Five Plays is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 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.
in the past
From this reading “THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.”
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?”
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.”
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “THIEF No, master.”
believed likely
From this reading “AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “THIEF No, master.”
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 “THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.”
In this reading “THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
in the past
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading THIEF No, master.
the force of workers available
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.
not any; not one
From this reading THIEF No, master.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
express in words
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
not in physical motion
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
believed likely
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AGMAR They went to Marma!
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading THIEF No, master.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THIEF Two men went on dromedaries three days ago to see if the gods were still at Marma.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading AGMAR More than you think suspected us, but have any dared to say so?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading AGMAR Then forget your fears, my thief.
Chapter 2 of Five Plays by Lord Dunsany holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of Five Plays, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Five Plays by Lord Dunsany exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Five Plays by Lord Dunsany on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1771 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41311 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41311, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 355 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Five Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Five 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 Five Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
