Chapter 2 of Vanderdecken is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Vanderdecken is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette. The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane. It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times. “Are you in earnest?” said he. “I sure am,” said Hank.
Chapter 2 of Vanderdecken is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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 stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading “The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.”
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.”
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading ““Are you in earnest?” said he.”
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading “The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.”
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading ““I sure am,” said Hank.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.”
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading “THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.”
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 “The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.”
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 THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I sure am,” said Hank.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are you in earnest?” said he.
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “Are you in earnest?” said he.
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading “I sure am,” said Hank.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I sure am,” said Hank.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
provided with artificial light
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Are you in earnest?” said he.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “I sure am,” said Hank.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PROPOSITION He sat down and lit a cigarette.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed to George that this was a new kind of proposition coming in these dull times.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The others showed little surprise or interest, with the exception of George du Cane.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Are you in earnest?” said he.
Chapter 2 of Vanderdecken by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 96 sentences of Vanderdecken, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Vanderdecken by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Vanderdecken by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4194 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54473 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54473, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 839 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vanderdecken section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Vanderdecken 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 Vanderdecken, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
