Chapter 2 of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“No. What are you talking about! Why?” “Well, I do,” I offered. “For one thing, she’s changed her name. And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
Chapter 2 of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
plural of “cape” — a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
a state at a particular time
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
used as expletives
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
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 “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
take and lift upward
In this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
In this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
In this reading “And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “No. What are you talking about!
in the past
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “No. What are you talking about!
plural of “cape” — a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
a state at a particular time
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
used as expletives
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Well, I do,” I offered.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Well, I do,” I offered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
not any; not one
From this reading “No. What are you talking about!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “Well, I do,” I offered.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
select carefully from a group
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
Identical; not different.
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “No. What are you talking about!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
a special situation
From this reading “For one thing, she’s changed her name.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
(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, I do,” I offered.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “No. What are you talking about!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why?”
a late time of life
From this reading And it happens this isn’t the first time she’s--Well, damn it all, fourteen years ago I helped pick up this whatever-she-is off the Virginia Capes--in the same sort of condition.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “No. What are you talking about!
Chapter 2 of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat by Wilbur Daniel Steele holds 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 477 sentences of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat by Wilbur Daniel Steele exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat by Wilbur Daniel Steele on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 982 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76815 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76815, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 197 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat 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 devil of a fellow, and The yellow cat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
