Chapter 2 of The soul of a bishop is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The soul of a bishop is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He rubbed his eyes. “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said. Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying. What should he say? To what could he pray?
Chapter 2 of The soul of a bishop is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading ““If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.”
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading “Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “To what could he pray?”
-ing form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “He rubbed his eyes.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading ““If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.”
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 “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading To what could he pray?
-ing form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
express in words
From this reading What should he say?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading What should he say?
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To what could he pray?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What should he say?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
Chapter 2 of The soul of a bishop by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 204 sentences of The soul of a bishop, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The soul of a bishop by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 soul of a bishop by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5173 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1269 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1269, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 431 minutes of reading across 1035 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The soul of a bishop section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The soul of a bishop 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 soul of a bishop, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
