Chapter 2 of Hard Times is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Hard Times is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ONE THING NEEDFUL ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.
Chapter 2 of Hard Times is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “Facts alone are wanted in life.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Facts alone are wanted in life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Facts alone are wanted in life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Facts alone are wanted in life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Facts alone are wanted in life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ONE THING NEEDFUL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ONE THING NEEDFUL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ONE THING NEEDFUL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ONE THING NEEDFUL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Facts alone are wanted in life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘NOW, what I want is, Facts.
Chapter 2 of Hard Times by Charles Dickens holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 163 sentences of Hard Times, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Hard Times by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Hard Times by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6128 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #786 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #786, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 510 minutes of reading across 1226 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hard Times section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Hard Times 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 Hard Times, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
