Chapter 2 of The blue scarab is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The blue scarab is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion. “There is nothing magical about it,” said he. “It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem. But Miss Nellie is wrong. We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
Chapter 2 of The blue scarab is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.”
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading “Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.”
possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers
From this reading ““There is nothing magical about it,” said he.”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading ““It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.”
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading ““It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.”
free from ambiguity
From this reading ““It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.”
cover with wax
From this reading “We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.”
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.
In this reading ““It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.”
In this reading “We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.”
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 Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Miss Nellie is wrong.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading But Miss Nellie is wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Miss Nellie is wrong.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
Identical; not different.
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
express in words
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient Egyptians
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.
free from ambiguity
From this reading “It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There is nothing magical about it,” said he.
a special situation
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thorndyke laughed in a quiet, inward fashion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was a perfectly simple, straightforward problem.
cover with wax
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We had the scarab; that is to say we had the wax impression of it, which is the same thing.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading But Miss Nellie is wrong.
Chapter 2 of The blue scarab by R. Austin (Richard Austin) Freeman holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of The blue scarab, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The blue scarab by R. Austin (Richard Austin) Freeman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 blue scarab by R. Austin (Richard Austin) Freeman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The blue scarab section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The blue scarab 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 blue scarab, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
