Chapter 2 of If: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of If: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Get some more. [DAOUD salaams. Exit.] [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.] JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
Chapter 2 of If: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
to come or go into
From this reading “[Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “Exit.]”
disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
From this reading “[Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “[Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]”
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading “JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.”
plural of “idol” — a material effigy that is worshipped
From this reading “[Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]”
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading “JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.”
not hallowed or consecrated
From this reading “JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.”
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 [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
later than; following
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [DAOUD salaams.
to come or go into
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading Exit.]
disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Get some more.
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 JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
plural of “idol” — a material effigy that is worshipped
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Get some more.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
precisely, exactly
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [DAOUD salaams.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Get some more.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
not hallowed or consecrated
From this reading JOHN BEAL [after scrutiny] This god is holy, this is unholy.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
in the company of; together with
From this reading [Looking at right heap.] What a--what a filthy people [Enter DAOUD with two idols.]
Chapter 2 of If: A Play in Four Acts by Lord Dunsany holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 215 sentences of If: A Play in Four Acts, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of If: A Play in Four Acts by Lord Dunsany exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 If: A Play in Four Acts by Lord Dunsany on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1448 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1311 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1311, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 120 minutes of reading across 290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through If: A Play in Four Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of If: A Play in Four Acts 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 If: A Play in Four Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
