Chapter 2 of The Diary of a Nobody is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Diary of a Nobody is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome. Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint. I make one of the best jokes of my life. Delights of Gardening. Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
Chapter 2 of The Diary of a Nobody is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.”
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading “Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.”
the cultivation of plants
From this reading “Delights of Gardening.”
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading “Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.”
any of various hand tools for scraping
From this reading “Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.”
plural of “tradesman” — a merchant who owns or manages a shop
From this reading “Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.”
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading “Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.”
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 Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
plural of “delight” — a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction
From this reading Delights of Gardening.
the cultivation of plants
From this reading Delights of Gardening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
engage in
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I make one of the best jokes of my life.
make a painting
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
on the contrary
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
any of various hand tools for scraping
From this reading Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.
not in physical motion
From this reading Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Stillbrook, Gowing, Cummings, and I have a little misunderstanding.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
plural of “tradesman” — a merchant who owns or manages a shop
From this reading Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading Tradesmen and the scraper still troublesome.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Gowing rather tiresome with his complaints of the paint.
Chapter 2 of The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 131 sentences of The Diary of a Nobody, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2463 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1026 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1026, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 205 minutes of reading across 493 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Diary of a Nobody section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Diary of a Nobody 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 Diary of a Nobody, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
