Chapter 2 of The fool of the family is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The fool of the family is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION. While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant. In ten minutes Tommy came back. "Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers. "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
Chapter 2 of The fool of the family is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.”
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.”
the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
From this reading “HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION.”
provide as food
From this reading “"Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers.”
set down according to a plan
From this reading “While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “"I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."”
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading “"I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."”
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.
In this reading “In ten minutes Tommy came back.”
be restored
In this reading “In ten minutes Tommy came back.”
In this reading “HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION.”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.”
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 While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading In ten minutes Tommy came back.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
From this reading HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
provide as food
From this reading "Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
set up or found
From this reading HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
destroyed or killed
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
pretentiously elegant
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading "Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In ten minutes Tommy came back.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
set down according to a plan
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading In ten minutes Tommy came back.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW SMITHERS FOUND CONSOLATION.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading In ten minutes Tommy came back.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
during the time that
From this reading While Tommy was gone Mrs. Smithers came up and laid the table, for although her husband was high-toned, he did not choose to keep a servant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I gave him the supper," replied Tommy; "but he wouldn't touch it."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you feed the horse?" asked Mr. Smithers.
Chapter 2 of The fool of the family by Bracebridge Hemyng holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 157 sentences of The fool of the family, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The fool of the family by Bracebridge Hemyng exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #72372, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The fool of the family, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
