Chapter 2 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about. In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker. I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol. I am not stupid. I am not a swine.
Chapter 2 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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 liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent
From this reading “I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.”
of benefit to or intended to benefit your physical makeup
From this reading “I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.”
a person who drinks liquids
From this reading “In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.”
susceptibility to a pathogen
From this reading “I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.”
aged or processed
From this reading “In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “I am not stupid.”
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading “I am not a swine.”
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading “And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.”
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 In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent
From this reading I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
of benefit to or intended to benefit your physical makeup
From this reading I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.
a person who drinks liquids
From this reading In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.
an old word for “before”
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
and nothing more
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
not any; not one
From this reading I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am not stupid.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.
susceptibility to a pathogen
From this reading I have no constitutional predisposition for alcohol.
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
aged or processed
From this reading In the first place, I am a seasoned drinker.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading I am not stupid.
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading I am not a swine.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
produce a literary work
From this reading And, ere I begin, I must ask the reader to walk with me in all sympathy; and, since sympathy is merely understanding, begin by understanding me and whom and what I write about.
Chapter 2 of John Barleycorn by Jack London holds 60 sentences, grouped into 12 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 60 sentences of John Barleycorn, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of John Barleycorn by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 60 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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 John Barleycorn by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3960 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #318 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #318, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 792 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John Barleycorn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of John Barleycorn 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 John Barleycorn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
