Chapter 2 of The dream detective is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The dream detective is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!” The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated. The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty. Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed. “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
Chapter 2 of The dream detective is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 custodian of a collection (as a museum or library)
From this reading “The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.”
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.”
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading ““Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.””
provided with artificial light
From this reading “The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.”
past form of “invest” — make an investment
From this reading “The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.”
plural of “pebble” — a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading “Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.”
in deplorable condition
From this reading “The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.”
telephone central where circuits are completed with patchcords
From this reading “The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.”
In this reading “The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading ““Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!””
In this reading ““Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.
with brightness
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
the custodian of a collection (as a museum or library)
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
opinion or judgment
From this reading Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.
the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
provided with artificial light
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
past form of “invest” — make an investment
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
plural of “pebble” — a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading Behind the pebbles his eyes gleamed.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
in deplorable condition
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Observe,” he said, “I raise the harp from the floor.”
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
telephone central where circuits are completed with patchcords
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The curator went out to the switchboard and the Greek Room became brightly illuminated.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading The ramshackle figure of Moris Klaw seemed to be invested with triumphant majesty.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Turn up lights,” directed Moris Klaw, “and I will show you!”
Chapter 2 of The dream detective by Sax Rohmer holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of The dream detective, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The dream detective by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 dream detective by Sax Rohmer 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 dream detective section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The dream detective 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 dream detective, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
