Chapter 2 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?" Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders. "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire. It forms part of the scheme of life. I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
Chapter 2 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.”
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “It forms part of the scheme of life.”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “"Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"”
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading “It forms part of the scheme of life.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.”
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading “"That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.”
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 "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
react verbally
From this reading "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading It forms part of the scheme of life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It forms part of the scheme of life.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It forms part of the scheme of life.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It forms part of the scheme of life.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading It forms part of the scheme of life.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
the act of using
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot do what one likes?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
a late time of life
From this reading I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which have been spent in thinking and in study of my fellows.
Chapter 2 of The King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The King's Esquires, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4851 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23128, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King's Esquires section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The King's Esquires 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 King's Esquires, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
