Chapter 2 of The Adventure of the Dying Detective is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Adventure of the Dying Detective is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed. Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man. The look of anger passed in an instant from his face. His features became tense and alert. "Have you come from Holmes?" he asked.
Chapter 2 of The Adventure of the Dying Detective is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “His features became tense and alert.”
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading “"I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.”
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.”
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading “Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.”
make reference to
From this reading “Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.”
someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information
From this reading “Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.”
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading “His features became tense and alert.”
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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading His features became tense and alert.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His features became tense and alert.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Have you come from Holmes?" he asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading His features became tense and alert.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Have you come from Holmes?" he asked.
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading His features became tense and alert.
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you come from Holmes?" he asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have you come from Holmes?" he asked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
a fictitious detective in stories by A. Conan Doyle
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
make reference to
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The look of anger passed in an instant from his face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading His features became tense and alert.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I am sorry," said I, "but the matter cannot be delayed.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Mr. Sherlock Holmes--" The mention of my friend's name had an extraordinary effect upon the little man.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you come from Holmes?" he asked.
Chapter 2 of The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 268 sentences of The Adventure of the Dying Detective, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 538 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2347 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2347, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 44 minutes of reading across 108 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventure of the Dying Detective section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Adventure of the Dying Detective 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 The Adventure of the Dying Detective, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
