Chapter 2 of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW. “Miss Lucy!” “Upon my word!” “I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy! How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
Chapter 2 of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
(Greek mythology) any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder to stone
From this reading “How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.”
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading ““I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy!”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading ““Miss Lucy!””
plural of “miss” — a young female
From this reading “How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.”
make thick or thicker
From this reading “SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.”
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 How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
(Greek mythology) any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder to stone
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I'm hanged if it aren't Lucy!
a polite name for any woman
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “Miss Lucy!”
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Miss Lucy!”
plural of “miss” — a young female
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Upon my word!”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
make thick or thicker
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SHOWS HOW THE PLOT BEGAN TO THICKEN IN OR ABOUT BEDFORD ROW.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “Upon my word!”
communicated in words
From this reading How do, Lucy?” uttered Lady, the Misses, and Master Gorgon in a breath.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “Upon my word!”
Chapter 2 of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy by William Makepeace Thackeray holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 183 sentences of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy by William Makepeace Thackeray exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Bedford-Row Conspiracy by William Makepeace Thackeray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 734 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1990 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1990, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 61 minutes of reading across 147 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bedford-Row Conspiracy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Bedford-Row Conspiracy 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 Bedford-Row Conspiracy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
