Chapter 2 of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?' 'P'r'aps he may be.' 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.' He saw her lip curl and then she laughed. 'You're wrong there.'
Chapter 2 of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
form a curl, curve, or kink
From this reading “He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.”
go away from a place
From this reading “Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'”
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'”
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
From this reading “'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “'You're wrong there.'”
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 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'P'r'aps he may be.'
form a curl, curve, or kink
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
the act of departing
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
go away from a place
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
a tenant in someone's house
From this reading 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading 'P'r'aps he may be.'
a form of address for a man
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'P'r'aps he may be.'
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
by chance
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He saw her lip curl and then she laughed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading 'You're wrong there.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Perhaps'--he paused--'perhaps Mr. Shergold is going to leave?'
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
From this reading 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading 'You're wrong there.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'And you're vexed at losing a lodger.'
Chapter 2 of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by George Gissing holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by George Gissing exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by George Gissing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11603 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11603, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 109 minutes of reading across 262 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories 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 House of Cobwebs and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
