Chapter 2 of Man and Wife is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Man and Wife is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I provided myself with the paper in your hand. It speaks for itself. Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper. It was a marriage-certificate. She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
Chapter 2 of Man and Wife is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 44/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 216–220
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.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.”
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.”
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading “Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.”
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.”
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “I provided myself with the paper in your hand.”
(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem
From this reading “Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “It speaks for itself.”
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 It was a marriage-certificate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
divisible by two
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It speaks for itself.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It speaks for itself.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading It speaks for itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
a woman of refinement
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a marriage-certificate.
a form of address for a man
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading It speaks for itself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Even the highest society, madam, respects _that!_” Lady Jane examined the paper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She turned deadly pale, and beckoned to Mr. Vanborough.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a marriage-certificate.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I provided myself with the paper in your hand.
Chapter 2 of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of Man and Wife, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 16495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1586 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1586, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Man and Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Man and Wife 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 Man and Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
