Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Yes? DICKIE. She has grey hair. MRS. FERGUSSON.
Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
Yes?
DICKIE.
She
has
grey
hair.
MRS.
FERGUSSON.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
Yes?
/jes/
Line 2
DICKIE.
/ˈdɪki/
Line 3
She
has
grey
hair.
/ʃiː hæz ɡreɪ her/
Line 4
MRS.
/ˈmɪsɪz/
Line 5
FERGUSSON.
Learner Dictionary
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.
dickie
noun
US /ˈdɪki/
a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
From this reading “DICKIE.”
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading “She has grey hair.”
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading “She has grey hair.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She has grey hair.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “MRS.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes?”
Word partnerships in these lines
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
grey hair
adjective + noun
In this reading “She has grey hair.”
All words in this reading · 8
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.
DICKIEnounUS /ˈdɪki/
a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
From this reading DICKIE.
FERGUSSON
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FERGUSSON.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading She has grey hair.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading She has grey hair.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She has grey hair.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She has grey hair.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes?
Chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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.
What does chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts contain?
Chapter 2 holds 399 sentences of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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.
How do I study chapter 2 of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts?
Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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.
Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts
Common questions about reading Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts?
Yes. All 3202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50180 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #50180, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts take to read?
About 266 minutes of reading across 641 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts section by section
How to work through Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts
Words and structures a reader meets early in Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Penelope
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Exactly
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Golightly
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Means
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.