Chapter 2 of Shapes of Clay is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Shapes of Clay is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?" That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude. "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns. "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free. "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
Chapter 2 of Shapes of Clay is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading “That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.”
a shelter from danger or hardship
From this reading “"Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"”
plural of “corn” — tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “"Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.”
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “"No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “"Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"”
plural of “scorn” — lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “"Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.”
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading “"Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “"No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.”
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.
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
a shelter from danger or hardship
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
plural of “corn” — tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
go away from a place
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
not any; not one
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
socially incorrect in behavior
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
plural of “scorn” — lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading "Tools (and sarcazzems too) I scorns-- I tells the weather by my corns.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading "No doors and windows here you see-- The wind and m'isture enters free.
in the company of; together with
From this reading That strange old man with motion rude Grew to surprising altitude.
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading "No fires nor lights, no wool nor fur Here falsifies the tempercher.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you (if questions you permit) At the asylum leave your kit?"
Chapter 2 of Shapes of Clay by Ambrose Bierce holds 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 352 sentences of Shapes of Clay, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Shapes of Clay by Ambrose Bierce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 Shapes of Clay by Ambrose Bierce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2460 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12658 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12658, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 205 minutes of reading across 492 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shapes of Clay section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Shapes of Clay 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 Shapes of Clay, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
