Chapter 2 of A Counterfeit Presentment is here in full — 435 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 A Counterfeit Presentment is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VI. CUMMINGS _and_ BARTLETT. _Bartlett_, sulkily.--"Were you?" He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up. _Cummings._--"Yes."
Chapter 2 of A Counterfeit Presentment is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
United States explorer who accompanied Peary's expedition to the North Pole and who led many other Arctic trips (1875-1946)
From this reading “CUMMINGS _and_ BARTLETT.”
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading “CUMMINGS _and_ BARTLETT.”
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
possessive form of “painter” — an artist who paints
From this reading “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.
From this reading “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
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 “He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.”
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 CUMMINGS _and_ BARTLETT.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
United States explorer who accompanied Peary's expedition to the North Pole and who led many other Arctic trips (1875-1946)
From this reading CUMMINGS _and_ BARTLETT.
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
United States writer noted for his typographically eccentric poetry (1894-1962)
From this reading CUMMINGS _and_ BARTLETT.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
possessive form of “painter” — an artist who paints
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
select carefully from a group
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
in a sulky manner
From this reading _Bartlett_, sulkily.--"Were you?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading VI.
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Bartlett_, sulkily.--"Were you?"
in or at the place that
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He walks, without looking at Cummings, to where his painter's paraphernalia are lying, and begins to pick them up.
an affirmative
From this reading _Cummings._--"Yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Bartlett_, sulkily.--"Were you?"
Chapter 2 of A Counterfeit Presentment by William Dean Howells holds 435 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 435 sentences of A Counterfeit Presentment, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Counterfeit Presentment by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 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 A Counterfeit Presentment by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3071 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43469 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43469, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Counterfeit Presentment section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of A Counterfeit Presentment 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 Counterfeit Presentment, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
