Chapter 2 of The Spider, and Other Tales is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Spider, and Other Tales is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I believe nothing now,” said the mouse. “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.” But she did, for all that. One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story: “Ugh!” she said.
Chapter 2 of The Spider, and Other Tales is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
past form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:”
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading ““I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.””
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:”
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:”
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading “One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading ““I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.””
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading ““I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:”
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.
In this reading ““I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.””
In this reading “One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:”
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 One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
(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 But she did, for all that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
past form of “behave” — behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she did, for all that.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But she did, for all that.
oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
at any time
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But she did, for all that.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
not any; not one
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she did, for all that.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I believe nothing now,” said the mouse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ugh!” she said.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading One fine morning, she began and behaved in such a way that no one in the hedge ever forgot the story:
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “I shall never believe that that woman will ever lay eggs.”
Chapter 2 of The Spider, and Other Tales by Carl Ewald holds 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 486 sentences of The Spider, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Spider, and Other Tales by Carl Ewald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Spider, and Other Tales by Carl Ewald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1965 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62910 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62910, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 163 minutes of reading across 393 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spider, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Spider, and Other Tales 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 Spider, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
