Chapter 2 of The Consul is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Consul is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked. “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily. “It won’t be the first time. But Henry mustn’t know. He’s too confoundedly touchy.
Chapter 2 of The Consul is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
From this reading ““Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ““Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading ““Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.”
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading ““Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.”
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading “But Henry mustn’t know.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading ““Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.”
a member of a senate
From this reading ““Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.”
quick to take offense
From this reading “He’s too confoundedly touchy.”
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.
the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “It won’t be the first time.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Henry mustn’t know.
in a perplexed manner
From this reading He’s too confoundedly touchy.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “It won’t be the first time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s too confoundedly touchy.
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading But Henry mustn’t know.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But Henry mustn’t know.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Henry mustn’t know.
a member of a senate
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
express in speech
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
express in words
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “It won’t be the first time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He’s too confoundedly touchy.
quick to take offense
From this reading He’s too confoundedly touchy.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It won’t be the first time.
a late time of life
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why don’t you speak to the senator?” she asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Tell him you’ve known him for years, that——” “Glad to do it!” exclaimed the admiral heartily.
Chapter 2 of The Consul by Richard Harding Davis holds 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 253 sentences of The Consul, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Consul by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Consul by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 511 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1762 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1762, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 42 minutes of reading across 103 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Consul section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Consul 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 Consul, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
