Chapter 2 of Prometheus Illbound is here in full — 474 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Prometheus Illbound is here in full — 474 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Alas! I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning. I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind. I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
Chapter 2 of Prometheus Illbound is here in full — 474 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
tired of the world
From this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
become widely known and passed on
From this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
render capable or able for some task
From this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society
From this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.”
plural of “photograph” — a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format
From this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
like better; value more highly
From this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading “I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.”
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 “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.”
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 could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading Alas!
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
cause to be bored
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
tired of the world
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
become widely known and passed on
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
render capable or able for some task
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
engage in
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
plural of “photograph” — a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
like better; value more highly
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
which person or people
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I prefer to circulate among you some indecent photographs; they will keep those quiet who are feeling bored, which will enable me to go on.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I could, it is true, here make a few jokes; but you would feel them out of place; I have an irredeemably serious mind.
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I see, gentlemen, that I bore you; some of you are yawning.
Chapter 2 of Prometheus Illbound by André Gide holds 474 sentences, grouped into 95 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 474 sentences of Prometheus Illbound, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Prometheus Illbound by André Gide exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 474 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 Prometheus Illbound by André Gide on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60914 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 80 minutes of reading across 194 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prometheus Illbound section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Prometheus Illbound 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 Prometheus Illbound, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
