Chapter 2 of Merely Mary Ann is here in full — 472 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Merely Mary Ann is here in full — 472 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint. That's what I complain of. He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks. 'You will hear from us.' 'It shall have our best consideration.'
Chapter 2 of Merely Mary Ann is here in full — 472 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
plural of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.”
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “That's what I complain of.”
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading “'It shall have our best consideration.'”
confined on all sides
From this reading “He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “'You will hear from us.'”
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading “He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.”
very irritable
From this reading “He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.”
a mental position from which things are viewed
From this reading “"I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.”
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 He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading 'It shall have our best consideration.'
plural of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading That's what I complain of.
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading 'It shall have our best consideration.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
confined on all sides
From this reading He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'It shall have our best consideration.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading 'You will hear from us.'
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'It shall have our best consideration.'
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That's what I complain of.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading 'It shall have our best consideration.'
very irritable
From this reading He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading 'It shall have our best consideration.'
a mental position from which things are viewed
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
express in words
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's what I complain of.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'You will hear from us.'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That's what I complain of.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading 'You will hear from us.'
in the company of; together with
From this reading He's encircled with a prickly hedge of clerks.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I tell you I don't look at him from any standpoint.
Chapter 2 of Merely Mary Ann by Israel Zangwill holds 472 sentences, grouped into 95 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 472 sentences of Merely Mary Ann, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Merely Mary Ann by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 472 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 Merely Mary Ann by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2314 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20078 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20078, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 192 minutes of reading across 463 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Merely Mary Ann section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Merely Mary Ann 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 Merely Mary Ann, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
