Chapter 2 of Physiology of the Opera is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Physiology of the Opera is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Opera in the Abstract. "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles." BERANGER. To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book. We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Chapter 2 of Physiology of the Opera is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
From this reading “The Opera in the Abstract.”
occurring with or following as a consequence
From this reading “We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.”
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading “To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.”
completely unclothed
From this reading “We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.”
plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading “"L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."”
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
From this reading “The Opera in the Abstract.”
a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image
From this reading “We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.”
established irrevocably
From this reading “To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.”
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.
In this reading “To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.”
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 To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
From this reading The Opera in the Abstract.
occurring with or following as a consequence
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
completely unclothed
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BERANGER.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
tell or spread rumors
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Opera in the Abstract.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
used to form the superlative
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
From this reading The Opera in the Abstract.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
express in words
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
established irrevocably
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Opera in the Abstract.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We do not mean a bare representation with its accompanying screechings, violinings and bass-drummings.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading To most of the world (and we say it advisedly,) the opera is a sealed book.
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading "L'Opéra toujours Fait bruit et merveilles: On y voit les sourds Boucher leurs oreilles."
Chapter 2 of Physiology of the Opera by -1891 Scrici holds 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 23 sentences of Physiology of the Opera, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Physiology of the Opera by -1891 Scrici exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Physiology of the Opera by -1891 Scrici on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31880 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31880, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 47 minutes of reading across 114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Physiology of the Opera section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Physiology of the Opera 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 Physiology of the Opera, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
