Chapter 2 of The Inferno is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Inferno is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The sound of the horn had ceased for some time. The street and the houses had quieted down. Silence. I passed my hand over my forehead. My fit of emotion was over.
Chapter 2 of The Inferno is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.”
any strong feeling
From this reading “My fit of emotion was over.”
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading “My fit of emotion was over.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “I passed my hand over my forehead.”
a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading “The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.”
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “The street and the houses had quieted down.”
past form of “quiet” — become quiet or quieter
From this reading “The street and the houses had quieted down.”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “The street and the houses had quieted down.”
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 The street and the houses had quieted down.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The street and the houses had quieted down.
any strong feeling
From this reading My fit of emotion was over.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading My fit of emotion was over.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading I passed my hand over my forehead.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I passed my hand over my forehead.
a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The street and the houses had quieted down.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I passed my hand over my forehead.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I passed my hand over my forehead.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
above and across; more than
From this reading I passed my hand over my forehead.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading I passed my hand over my forehead.
past form of “quiet” — become quiet or quieter
From this reading The street and the houses had quieted down.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Silence.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The street and the houses had quieted down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The sound of the horn had ceased for some time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My fit of emotion was over.
Chapter 2 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 212 sentences of The Inferno, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Inferno by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inferno section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Inferno 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 Inferno, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
