Chapter 2 of Original Short Stories — Volume 08 is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Original Short Stories — Volume 08 is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She smiled. “You are quite right. I don't understand anything about it.” An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me. You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.
Chapter 2 of Original Short Stories — Volume 08 is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading “An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.”
give advice to
From this reading “An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.”
a decorative pin worn by women
From this reading “You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.”
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading “An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.”
without deviation
From this reading “You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “She smiled.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I don't understand anything about it.”
give advice to
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
any thing at all
From this reading I don't understand anything about it.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are quite right.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
a decorative pin worn by women
From this reading You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
without deviation
From this reading You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't understand anything about it.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't understand anything about it.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don't understand anything about it.”
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “You are quite right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “You are quite right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She smiled.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She smiled.
express in speech
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading You understand I cannot broach the subject to him directly.
express a supposition
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I don't understand anything about it.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading An idea struck him: “Suppose you were to speak to M. Rosselin, the deputy; he might be able to advise me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are quite right.
Chapter 2 of Original Short Stories — Volume 08 by Guy de Maupassant holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 187 sentences of Original Short Stories — Volume 08, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Original Short Stories — Volume 08 by Guy de Maupassant exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Original Short Stories — Volume 08 by Guy de Maupassant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2624 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3084 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3084, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 218 minutes of reading across 525 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Original Short Stories — Volume 08 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Original Short Stories — Volume 08 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 Original Short Stories — Volume 08, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
