Chapter 2 of The Shaving of Shagpat is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Shaving of Shagpat is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Destiny! Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair? Destiny! Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet? Destiny!
Chapter 2 of The Shaving of Shagpat is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 15/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 71–75
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.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?”
wanted intensely
From this reading “Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?”
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “Destiny!”
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading “Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading “Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?”
having the qualities or effects of a poison
From this reading “Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?”
a momentary flash of light
From this reading “Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?”
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 Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
wanted intensely
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Destiny!
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
having the qualities or effects of a poison
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
a momentary flash of light
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Destiny! am I but a spark Track'd under heaven in flames and despair?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Destiny! why am I desired Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet?
Chapter 2 of The Shaving of Shagpat by George Meredith holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of The Shaving of Shagpat, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Shaving of Shagpat by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Shaving of Shagpat by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1219 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 101 minutes of reading across 244 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shaving of Shagpat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Shaving of Shagpat 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 Shaving of Shagpat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
