Chapter 2 of The Deacon is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Deacon is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you. What did I understand you to say you were? =Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir. =Deacon.= Yes, of course you are. That's just what I thought you were.
Chapter 2 of The Deacon is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “=Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.”
a Protestant layman who assists the minister
From this reading “=Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.”
a man of refinement
From this reading “=Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.”
a particular point in time
From this reading “I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.”
a chronic drinker
From this reading “I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “What did I understand you to say you were?”
Scottish archaeologist (1890-1976)
From this reading “=Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.”
an affirmative
From this reading “=Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “=Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.”
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 =Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading =Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading =Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.
a Protestant layman who assists the minister
From this reading =Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading What did I understand you to say you were?
opinion or judgment
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
a man of refinement
From this reading =Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading =Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.
and nothing more
From this reading That's just what I thought you were.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
a particular point in time
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading =Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
express in words
From this reading What did I understand you to say you were?
term of address for a man
From this reading =Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.
a chronic drinker
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's just what I thought you were.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading That's just what I thought you were.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What did I understand you to say you were?
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading What did I understand you to say you were?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What did I understand you to say you were?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What did I understand you to say you were?
Scottish archaeologist (1890-1976)
From this reading =Wheeler.= I'm a gentleman, sir.
an affirmative
From this reading =Deacon.= Yes, of course you are.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I knew you weren't the moment I sot eyes on you.
Chapter 2 of The Deacon by Horace C. Dale holds 406 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.
Chapter 2 holds 406 sentences of The Deacon, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Deacon by Horace C. Dale exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 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.
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.
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 Deacon by Horace C. Dale on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2006 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42581 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42581, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 402 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Deacon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Deacon 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 Deacon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
