Chapter 2 of Plays of Gods and Men is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Plays of Gods and Men is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I go to pray to a very secret god. Zophérnes: What is his name? Queen: His name is secret like his deeds. [She goes to door. Silence falls.
Chapter 2 of Plays of Gods and Men is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
performance of moral or religious acts
From this reading “Queen: His name is secret like his deeds.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “Silence falls.”
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “I go to pray to a very secret god.”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “[She goes to door.”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “I go to pray to a very secret god.”
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “Queen: His name is secret like his deeds.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “I go to pray to a very secret god.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “Silence falls.”
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 I go to pray to a very secret god.
performance of moral or religious acts
From this reading Queen: His name is secret like his deeds.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading [She goes to door.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading Silence falls.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading [She goes to door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Zophérnes: What is his name?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Zophérnes: What is his name?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Queen: His name is secret like his deeds.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Zophérnes: What is his name?
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading Queen: His name is secret like his deeds.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [She goes to door.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Silence falls.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
precisely as stated
From this reading I go to pray to a very secret god.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Zophérnes: What is his name?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Zophérnes: What is his name?
Chapter 2 of Plays of Gods and Men by Lord Dunsany holds 480 sentences, grouped into 96 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 480 sentences of Plays of Gods and Men, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Plays of Gods and Men by Lord Dunsany exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 480 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Plays of Gods and Men by Lord Dunsany on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 933 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 77 minutes of reading across 187 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays of Gods and Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Plays of Gods and Men 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 Plays of Gods and Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
