Chapter 2 of The Explorer is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Explorer is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal. 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep. And you needn't be horrid to me.' 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him. 'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.
Chapter 2 of The Explorer is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading “'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.”
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading “'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “And you needn't be horrid to me.'”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.”
in an obedient manner
From this reading “'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.”
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
From this reading “'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.”
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 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading 'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And you needn't be horrid to me.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading 'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
the act of departing
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
exceedingly bad
From this reading And you needn't be horrid to me.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And you needn't be horrid to me.'
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And you needn't be horrid to me.'
in an obedient manner
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
in the near future
From this reading 'I didn't,' she answered, as soon as he had finished.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
From this reading 'I'm so uncomfortable, and my foot's going to sleep.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'I didn't know you really meant it,' he said, getting up obediently and doing what was required of him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'Oh, please do,' she said, with a piteous little expression of appeal.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And you needn't be horrid to me.'
Chapter 2 of The Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of The Explorer, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Explorer by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5391 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1079 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Explorer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Explorer 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 Explorer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
