Chapter 2 of A Captain of Industry is here in full — 540 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Captain of Industry is here in full — 540 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild. "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?" "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger. "Never in my life! Who do you think it is?
Chapter 2 of A Captain of Industry is here in full — 540 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/108 · 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.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “"Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.”
someone who risks losses for the possibility of considerable gains
From this reading “"Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “"Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"”
annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
From this reading “"Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.”
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading “It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.”
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 “It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “"Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"”
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 It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
any thing at all
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
widely known and esteemed
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Who do you think it is?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "Never in my life!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Never in my life!
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
and nothing more
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
someone who risks losses for the possibility of considerable gains
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
cut with a saw
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
any of numerous Old World birds having a strong hooked bill that feed on smaller animals
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
From this reading "Never saw anything like it," cried one of them; it was Shrike, the famous wheat plunger.
which person or people
From this reading Who do you think it is?
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading It was only a few minutes before the first four were in his office, breathless and wild.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well," said van Rensselaer, "what do you think of it?"
Chapter 2 of A Captain of Industry by Upton Sinclair holds 540 sentences, grouped into 108 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 540 sentences of A Captain of Industry, unabridged, divided into 108 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Captain of Industry by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 540 sentences, grouped into 108 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 108 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 108 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 A Captain of Industry by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1119 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39516 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39516, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 93 minutes of reading across 224 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Captain of Industry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Captain of Industry 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 A Captain of Industry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
