Chapter 2 of The Rough Road is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Rough Road is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone. He did not complain. There was little to complain about. He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds. He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
Chapter 2 of The Rough Road is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
From this reading “He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.”
possessive form of “arnold” — English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.”
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “He did not complain.”
informal terms for dogs
From this reading “Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.”
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading “He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.”
the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time
From this reading “He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.”
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading “Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.”
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading “He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.”
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 owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was little to complain about.
extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
possessive form of “arnold” — English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading He did not complain.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not complain.
informal terms for dogs
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not complain.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was little to complain about.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not complain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He owned a pleasant old house set in fifteen acres of grounds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thenceforward Doggie, like the late Mr. Matthew Arnold's fellow-millions, lived alone.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was little to complain about.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was little to complain about.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was little to complain about.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading He had an income of three thousand pounds a year.
Chapter 2 of The Rough Road by William John Locke holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 194 sentences of The Rough Road, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Rough Road by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Rough Road by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7200 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27786 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27786, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1440 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rough Road section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Rough Road 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 Rough Road, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
