Chapter 2 of Simon the Jester is here in full — 313 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Simon the Jester is here in full — 313 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature. Dale himself had gone. A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham. As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me. I asked him how he knew.
Chapter 2 of Simon the Jester is here in full — 313 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/62 · 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.
a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
From this reading “As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.”
light carriage; pulled by a single horse
From this reading “A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.”
possessive form of “dale” — an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading “Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.”
developed or executed with care and in minute detail
From this reading “As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.”
something written by hand
From this reading “Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.”
United States humorist remembered for his homespun commentary on politics and American society (1879-1935)
From this reading “A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.”
possessive form of “rogers” — United States humorist remembered for his homespun commentary on politics and American society (1879-1935)
From this reading “As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.”
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading “Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.”
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 A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked him how he knew.
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
light carriage; pulled by a single horse
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading Dale himself had gone.
possessive form of “dale” — an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
developed or executed with care and in minute detail
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Dale himself had gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Dale himself had gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
something written by hand
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I asked him how he knew.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Dale himself had gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I asked him how he knew.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked him how he knew.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
a message received and understood
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I asked him how he knew.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
the literary culture
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
a room where books are kept
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
United States humorist remembered for his homespun commentary on politics and American society (1879-1935)
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
possessive form of “rogers” — United States humorist remembered for his homespun commentary on politics and American society (1879-1935)
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A lady had called for him, said Rogers, in an electric brougham.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading As my chambers are on the second floor and the staircase half-way down the arcade, Rogers's detailed information surprised me.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Some letters in Dale's round handwriting lay on the library table awaiting my signature.
Chapter 2 of Simon the Jester by William John Locke holds 313 sentences, grouped into 63 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 313 sentences of Simon the Jester, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Simon the Jester by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 313 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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 Simon the Jester by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3828, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Simon the Jester section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Simon the Jester 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 Simon the Jester, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
