Chapter 2 of The Plot That Failed is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Plot That Failed is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TAMBOURINE JACK’S MESSAGE. “I feared you would not come.” The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment. A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room. He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
Chapter 2 of The Plot That Failed is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style
From this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.”
past form of “recline” — move the upper body backwards and down
From this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides
From this reading “TAMBOURINE JACK’S MESSAGE.”
possessive form of “york” — the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
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 “A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.”
In this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
In this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
In this reading “The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.”
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 The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I feared you would not come.”
refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “I feared you would not come.”
a man of refinement
From this reading A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I feared you would not come.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading TAMBOURINE JACK’S MESSAGE.
plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading TAMBOURINE JACK’S MESSAGE.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I feared you would not come.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
on the contrary
From this reading A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.
past form of “recline” — move the upper body backwards and down
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A gentleman, rather old, had entered the room.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides
From this reading TAMBOURINE JACK’S MESSAGE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The speaker, a beautiful woman of two or three and thirty, half reclined on a sofa, in an elegant apartment.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “I feared you would not come.”
possessive form of “york” — the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading He was what he looked to be--one of New York’s money kings.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I feared you would not come.”
Chapter 2 of The Plot That Failed by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 127 sentences of The Plot That Failed, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Plot That Failed by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Plot That Failed by Nicholas (House name) Carter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4240 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Plot That Failed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Plot That Failed 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 Plot That Failed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
