Chapter 2 of The Hero of the People is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Hero of the People is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE THREE ODDITIES. The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification: “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.” He drank a few drops more. “Ay, and masters of the craft.”
Chapter 2 of The Hero of the People is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading “He drank a few drops more.”
possessive form of “eye” — the organ of sight
state of being gratified or satisfied
From this reading “The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:”
someone who makes or repairs locks
From this reading “The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:”
plural of “oddity” — eccentricity that is not easily explained
From this reading “THE THREE ODDITIES.”
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading “The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:”
a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
From this reading “The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:”
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 “The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:”
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 He drank a few drops more.
regarded with admiration
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
later than; following
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ay, and masters of the craft.”
give a benediction to
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading “Ay, and masters of the craft.”
inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids
From this reading He drank a few drops more.
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading He drank a few drops more.
possessive form of “eye” — the organ of sight
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He drank a few drops more.
state of being gratified or satisfied
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He drank a few drops more.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
held up in the air
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
someone who makes or repairs locks
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading “Ay, and masters of the craft.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He drank a few drops more.
plural of “oddity” — eccentricity that is not easily explained
From this reading THE THREE ODDITIES.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
a full supply
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE THREE ODDITIES.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading THE THREE ODDITIES.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
in the company of; together with
From this reading The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification:
an affirmative
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Bless you, yes, plenty of locksmiths at Paris.”
Chapter 2 of The Hero of the People by Alexandre Dumas holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 143 sentences of The Hero of the People, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Hero of the People by Alexandre Dumas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Hero of the People by Alexandre Dumas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4316 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 359 minutes of reading across 864 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hero of the People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Hero of the People 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 Hero of the People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
