Chapter 2 of Mr. Prohack is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Mr. Prohack is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within. Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer. He had made his money "out of the war." And Silas was an Englishman. While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
Chapter 2 of Mr. Prohack is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)
From this reading “THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.”
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading “THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.”
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading “While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.”
normal use of the faculty of vision
From this reading “While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.”
someone who makes excessive profit (especially on goods in short supply)
From this reading “Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.”
an abundance of material possessions and resources
From this reading “While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.”
normal or sound powers of mind
From this reading “While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.”
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading “THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.”
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 Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And Silas was an Englishman.
a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Silas was an Englishman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading And Silas was an Englishman.
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
normal use of the faculty of vision
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had made his money "out of the war."
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He had made his money "out of the war."
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading He had made his money "out of the war."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had made his money "out of the war."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had made his money "out of the war."
someone who makes excessive profit (especially on goods in short supply)
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
an abundance of material possessions and resources
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
normal or sound powers of mind
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading He had made his money "out of the war."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And Silas was an Englishman.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Silas Angmering had evidently been what is called a profiteer.
during the time that
From this reading While Englishmen, and--later--Americans, had given up lives, sanity, fortunes, limbs, eyesight, health, Silas had gained riches.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading THE LAW His tranquil tone disguised the immense anarchy within.
Chapter 2 of Mr. Prohack by Arnold Bennett holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 168 sentences of Mr. Prohack, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Mr. Prohack by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Mr. Prohack by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8910 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12773 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12773, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1782 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr. Prohack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Mr. Prohack 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 Mr. Prohack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
