Chapter 2 of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed. Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.] MRS. JONES. [Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!
Chapter 2 of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “[The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.”
-ing form of “cower” — crouch or curl up
From this reading “[Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!”
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading “[The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.”
a terrorist organization founded in 2000; a militant Islamic group active in Kashmir and closely aligned with al-Rashid Trust; seeks to secure release of imprisoned fellow militants by kidnappings
From this reading “[Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!”
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading “Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]”
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading “[The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.”
plural of “snatch” — a small fragment
From this reading “Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]”
plural of “stare” — a fixed look with eyes open wide
From this reading “Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading [Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading [Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
-ing form of “cower” — crouch or curl up
From this reading [Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
a terrorist organization founded in 2000; a militant Islamic group active in Kashmir and closely aligned with al-Rashid Trust; seeks to secure release of imprisoned fellow militants by kidnappings
From this reading [Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading JONES.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading [Cowering back against the bed.] Oh, Jem! oh, Jem!
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
plural of “snatch” — a small fragment
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
plural of “stare” — a fixed look with eyes open wide
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Taking up the box she stares at it; he rushes at her and snatches the box away.]
a formal word for “on”
From this reading [The silver box drops from the pocket, scattering the cigarettes upon the bed.
Chapter 2 of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy holds 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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 304 sentences of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2906 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2906, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 51 minutes of reading across 123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts 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 Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
