Chapter 2 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And I did not know their secret. I pondered and I marvelled. As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love. Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained. Then I became curious.
Chapter 2 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading “Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Then I became curious.”
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.”
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading “As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.”
inflected form of “marvel” — be amazed at
From this reading “I pondered and I marvelled.”
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.”
past form of “ponder” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “I pondered and I marvelled.”
from the subconscious mind
From this reading “As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.”
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 I did not know their secret.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Then I became curious.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “And I did not know their secret.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And I did not know their secret.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “And I did not know their secret.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
inflected form of “marvel” — be amazed at
From this reading I pondered and I marvelled.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “And I did not know their secret.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
past form of “ponder” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading I pondered and I marvelled.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “And I did not know their secret.
from the subconscious mind
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As first I had expected, subconsciously I imagine, the passing of their love.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “And I did not know their secret.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then I became aware that it was Time that passed and Love that remained.
Chapter 2 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of When God Laughs, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3846 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2545 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2545, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When God Laughs, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of When God Laughs, and Other Stories 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
