Chapter 2 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Who is the man they call Alvan?' She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers. Up went five-fingered hands. This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed. 'Alvan!
Chapter 2 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 widely known person
From this reading “This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.”
providing freedom from worry
From this reading “This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.”
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.”
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.”
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading “This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.”
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 This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
a widely known person
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
providing freedom from worry
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Up went five-fingered hands.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Up went five-fingered hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
intense and profound fear
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
cut with a saw
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She put the question at the first opportunity to an aunt of hers.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up went five-fingered hands.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This violent natural sign of horror was comforting: she saw that he was a celebrity indeed.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Up went five-fingered hands.
which person or people
From this reading 'Who is the man they call Alvan?'
Chapter 2 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete by George Meredith holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of The Tragic Comedians — Complete, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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.
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Yes. All 3250 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4464 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4464, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 270 minutes of reading across 650 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tragic Comedians — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Tragic Comedians — Complete to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Tragic Comedians — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
