Chapter 2 of Notes from the Underground is here in full — 603 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Notes from the Underground is here in full — 603 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Underground I I am a sick man.... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased. However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
Chapter 2 of Notes from the Underground is here in full — 603 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/120 · 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 “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading “However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.”
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading “However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.”
caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology
From this reading “I believe my liver is diseased.”
large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity
From this reading “I believe my liver is diseased.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “Underground I I am a sick man....”
showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite
From this reading “I am a spiteful man.”
lacking beauty or charm
From this reading “I am an unattractive man.”
under the level of the ground
From this reading “Underground I I am a sick man....”
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 Underground I I am a sick man....
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
plural of “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
(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 However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Underground I I am a sick man....
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I am an unattractive man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I believe my liver is diseased.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology
From this reading I believe my liver is diseased.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Underground I I am a sick man....
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I believe my liver is diseased.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity
From this reading I believe my liver is diseased.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Underground I I am a sick man....
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I believe my liver is diseased.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Underground I I am a sick man....
showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite
From this reading I am a spiteful man.
lacking beauty or charm
From this reading I am an unattractive man.
under the level of the ground
From this reading Underground I I am a sick man....
used to ask for information about something
From this reading However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.
Chapter 2 of Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky holds 603 sentences, grouped into 121 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 603 sentences of Notes from the Underground, unabridged, divided into 121 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 603 sentences, grouped into 121 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 121 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 121 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 Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2510 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #600 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #600, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 209 minutes of reading across 502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Notes from the Underground section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Notes from the Underground 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 Notes from the Underground, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
