Chapter 2 of Foul Play is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Foul Play is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him. He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad. The young man obeyed in gloomy silence. He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
Chapter 2 of Foul Play is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
-ing form of “abate” — make less active or intense
From this reading “He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.”
past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on
From this reading “He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.”
(of an infant) breast-fed
From this reading “WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.”
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.”
the shore of a sea or ocean regarded as a resort
From this reading “He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.”
plural of “stage” — any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.”
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.
-ing form of “abate” — make less active or intense
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
later than; following
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
depressingly dark
From this reading The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
(of an infant) breast-fed
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading He never asked after Robert Penfold, now; never mentioned his name.
the shore of a sea or ocean regarded as a resort
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.
a male human offspring
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
plural of “stage” — any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He kept the newspapers from him, and, on his fever abating, had him conveyed by easy stages to the seaside, and then sent him abroad.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading WARDLAW went down to his son and nursed him.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man obeyed in gloomy silence.
Chapter 2 of Foul Play by Charles Reade holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 172 sentences of Foul Play, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Foul Play by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Foul Play by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9633 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3702 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3702, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1927 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Foul Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Foul Play 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 Foul Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
