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The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque
The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.
"Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.
At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.
But otherwise she just adored them.
"See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.
Line 2
"Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.
/ˈveri mʌtʃ soʊ hæd sed ˈleɪdi ˈspiːdweɪ ðə miːn θɪŋ/
Line 3
At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.
Line 4
But otherwise she just adored them.
/bʌt ˈʌðərwaɪz ʃiː dʒʌst əˈdɔːrd ðem/
Line 5
"See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

Learner Dictionary

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.

bearers noun US /ˈberərz/

plural of “bearer” — someone whose employment involves carrying something

From this reading “At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.”

Biscuit noun US /ˈbɪskət/

small round bread leavened with baking-powder or soda

From this reading “The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.”

chew verb US /tʃuː/

chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

From this reading “"See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"”

facial noun US /ˈfeɪʃəl/

cranial nerve that supplies facial muscles

From this reading “At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.”

lumbering noun US /ˈlʌmbərɪŋ/

the trade of cutting or preparing or selling timber

From this reading “At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.”

Musty adjective US /ˈmʌsti/

covered with or smelling of mold

From this reading “At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.”

Speedway noun US /ˈspiːdweɪ/

road where high speed driving is allowed

From this reading “"Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.”

Tawdry adjective US /ˈtɔːdri/

tastelessly showy

From this reading “"See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

some day adjective + noun

In this reading “At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.”

At dawn preposition + noun

In this reading “At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.”

All words in this reading · 64

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.

adoredadjectiveUS /əˈdɔːrd/

regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)

From this reading But otherwise she just adored them.

aheadadverbUS /əˈhed/

at or in the front

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

AlenounUS /eɪl/

a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

baggagenounUS /ˈbæɡədʒ/

cases used to carry belongings when traveling

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

bearersnounUS /ˈberərz/

plural of “bearer” — someone whose employment involves carrying something

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

BiscuitnounUS /ˈbɪskət/

small round bread leavened with baking-powder or soda

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But otherwise she just adored them.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

camelsnounUS /ˈkæməlz/

plural of “camel” — cud-chewing mammal used as a draft or saddle animal in desert regions

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

chewverbUS /tʃuː/

chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

darlingnounUS /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

dawnnounUS /dɔːn/

the first light of day

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

enthusiasticadjectiveUS /ɪnˌθuːziˈæstɪk/

having or showing great excitement and interest

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

facialnounUS /ˈfeɪʃəl/

cranial nerve that supplies facial muscles

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

hopedverbUS /hoʊpt/

past form of “hope” — expect and wish

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

HotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading But otherwise she just adored them.

LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

lumberingnounUS /ˈlʌmbərɪŋ/

the trade of cutting or preparing or selling timber

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

MustyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌsti/

covered with or smelling of mold

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading But otherwise she just adored them.

processionnounUS /prəˈseʃən/

(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

promisedverbUS /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

resemblancenounUS /rɪˈzembləns/

similarity in appearance or external or superficial details

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

satisfiedadjectiveUS /ˈsætəsfaɪd/

filled with satisfaction

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

SeeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

send-offnoun

an organized expression of goodwill at the start of a trip or new venture

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But otherwise she just adored them.

showingnounUS /ˈʃoʊɪŋ/

the display of a motion picture

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

SpeedwaynounUS /ˈspiːdweɪ/

road where high speed driving is allowed

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

surprisedadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzd/

taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

TawdryadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːdri/

tastelessly showy

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading At dawn Musty Ale sent ahead the procession of baggage bearers, the lumbering camels, all of them Verbeena thought showing great facial resemblance to Lady Speedway and hoped some day to tell her so.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

Verbeena

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The promised send-off of Verbeena from the Biscuit Hotel had been enthusiastic.

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "Very much so," had said Lady Speedway, the mean thing.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "See," said she to Lord Tawdry who had surprised her by getting up, "the darling camels how they chew and chew and chew and are never satisfied!"

Chapter 2 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque by Charles Somerville holds 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque contain?

Chapter 2 holds 174 sentences of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque by Charles Somerville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque

Common questions about reading The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque by Charles Somerville on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque?

Yes. All 1753 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40934 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40934, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque take to read?

About 146 minutes of reading across 351 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque section by section

How to work through The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Printed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
United
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
States
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
America
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.