Chapter 2 of The Observations of Henry is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Observations of Henry is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it. "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it. "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery. But the man seems to have got away all right.' "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
Chapter 2 of The Observations of Henry is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “"He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.”
inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “"He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.”
a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading “"'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “"I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.”
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “"He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.”
plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “"'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.”
larceny by threat of violence
From this reading “"'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.”
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 gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading But the man seems to have got away all right.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But the man seems to have got away all right.'
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading But the man seems to have got away all right.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But the man seems to have got away all right.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
engage in
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.
precisely, exactly
From this reading But the man seems to have got away all right.'
larceny by threat of violence
From this reading "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.
express in words
From this reading "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But the man seems to have got away all right.'
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I could see he was dying to talk to somebody about it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I felt as certain he was the man as though I'd seen him do it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "He gives me a sharp glance, but I was busy with the cruets, and he had to make what he chose out of it.
an affirmative
From this reading "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'Yes,' he replies, 'as you say, it was a daring robbery.
Chapter 2 of The Observations of Henry by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 448 sentences of The Observations of Henry, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Observations of Henry by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Observations of Henry by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1337 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17943 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17943, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 111 minutes of reading across 268 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Observations of Henry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Observations of Henry 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 Observations of Henry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
