Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Art is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MME. DE CÉRAN. At last! DUCHESS. Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
The Art
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Art is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
MME.
DE
CÉRAN.
At
last!
DUCHESS.
Were
you
afraid
he
wouldn’t
return?
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
The Art
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Art is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
MME.
Line 2
DE
CÉRAN.
Line 3
At
last!
/æt læst/
Line 4
DUCHESS.
/ˈdʌtʃəs/
Line 5
Were
you
afraid
he
wouldn’t
return?
Learner Dictionary
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?”
duchess
noun
US /ˈdʌtʃəs/
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “DUCHESS.”
immediately past
From this reading “At last!”
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 12
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last!
CÉRAN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DE CÉRAN.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading DE CÉRAN.
DUCHESSnounUS /ˈdʌtʃəs/
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading DUCHESS.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
immediately past
From this reading At last!
MME
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MME.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Were you afraid he wouldn’t return?
Chapter 2 of The Art by Edouard Pailleron holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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.
What does chapter 2 of The Art contain?
Chapter 2 holds 408 sentences of The Art, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Art by Edouard Pailleron exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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.
How do I study chapter 2 of The Art?
Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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.
Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading The Art
Common questions about reading The Art by Edouard Pailleron on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Art?
Yes. All 4060 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Art is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #53334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Art take to read?
About 338 minutes of reading across 812 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Art section by section
How to work through The Art section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
-
Open a chapter
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Art to begin.
-
Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
-
Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Art
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Art, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Seven
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- First
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Makes
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Twenty
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.