Chapter 2 of The Trembling of a Leaf is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Trembling of a Leaf is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds." "You will regret it." He turned to Manuma. "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older." He rode away chuckling.
Chapter 2 of The Trembling of a Leaf is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
-ing form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading “He rode away chuckling.”
a boy or man
From this reading “"And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “"And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “"Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “"You will regret it."”
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “He rode away chuckling.”
hurting
From this reading “"And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."”
except if; if not
From this reading “"Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."”
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 “"And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."”
ride away on a horse, for example
In this reading “He rode away chuckling.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He rode away chuckling.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
-ing form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading He rode away chuckling.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned to Manuma.
ten 10s
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You will regret it."
a boy or man
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to Manuma.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading "You will regret it."
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading He rode away chuckling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
hurting
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He turned to Manuma.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned to Manuma.
except if; if not
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
precisely as stated
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will regret it."
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Not unless you pay us one hundred pounds."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And you, my lad, I shouldn't wonder if your back was very sore before you're much older."
Chapter 2 of The Trembling of a Leaf by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 433 sentences of The Trembling of a Leaf, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Trembling of a Leaf by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Trembling of a Leaf by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5384 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 448 minutes of reading across 1077 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trembling of a Leaf section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Trembling of a Leaf 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 Trembling of a Leaf, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
