Chapter 2 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating. "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily. He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points. Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb. And then she went to Penelope.
Chapter 2 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another
From this reading “"I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.”
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.”
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading “Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.”
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading “And then she went to Penelope.”
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.”
let for money
From this reading “Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.”
a white powder used as a pigment for its high covering power and durability
From this reading “"Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.”
in a weary manner
From this reading “"I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.”
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 “He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
any thing at all
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
people who are defeated
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
on one occasion
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading And then she went to Penelope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
let for money
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then she went to Penelope.
a special situation
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
a white powder used as a pigment for its high covering power and durability
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Being discomfited for once by an ambassador, she turned on Bradstock, and rent him limb from limb.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He said it was an awful thing to be an ambassador sometimes, though it had its points.
in a weary manner
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And then she went to Penelope.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Cannot you do anything for me?" asked Titania, perorating.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I’m afraid not, your Grace," said the ambassador, wearily.
Chapter 2 of Lady Penelope by Morley Roberts holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Lady Penelope, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Lady Penelope by Morley Roberts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Lady Penelope by Morley Roberts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6622 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45648 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45648, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 551 minutes of reading across 1325 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady Penelope section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Lady Penelope 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 Lady Penelope, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
