Chapter 2 of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act is here in full — 531 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act is here in full — 531 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RAT. Pshaw! I shall resign at once. (_going_) POS. (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
Chapter 2 of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act is here in full — 531 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/106 · 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.
subject to appointment
From this reading “(_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.”
the act of departing
plural of “po” — a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor
From this reading “(_going_) POS.”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “RAT.”
leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading “I shall resign at once.”
a person who follows next in order
From this reading “(_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.”
up to a particular time
From this reading “(_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “I shall resign at once.”
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.
subject to appointment
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I shall resign at once.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
the act of departing
From this reading (_going_) POS.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shall resign at once.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
on one occasion
From this reading I shall resign at once.
plural of “po” — a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor
From this reading (_going_) POS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pshaw!
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading RAT.
leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading I shall resign at once.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall resign at once.
a person who follows next in order
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
up to a particular time
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading (_pulling him back_) You can't till your successor is appointed.
Chapter 2 of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act by John Maddison Morton holds 531 sentences, grouped into 107 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 531 sentences of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act, unabridged, divided into 107 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act by John Maddison Morton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 531 sentences, grouped into 107 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 107 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 107 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 Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act by John Maddison Morton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1060 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45628 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45628, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 88 minutes of reading across 212 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act 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 Desperate Game: A Comic Drama in One Act, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
