Chapter 2 of A Likely Story is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Likely Story is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected. That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started. Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter. We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho! Ah, ha, ha!
Chapter 2 of A Likely Story is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!”
United States mythologist (1904-1987)
From this reading “Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.”
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading “We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!”
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading “Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.”
comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.”
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading “We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!”
required or under orders
From this reading “We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!”
-ing form of “well” — come up, as of a liquid
From this reading “We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!”
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 Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, ha, ha!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
United States mythologist (1904-1987)
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading Ah, ha, ha!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
a brief written record
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
required or under orders
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
a special situation
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Campbell: "It's about a million times nicer than we could have expected.
(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, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
-ing form of “well” — come up, as of a liquid
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
at the time that
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We supposed that note which you addressed to Mrs. Campbell was intended for Miss Rice--" Welling: "Ho, ho, ho!
in the company of; together with
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That's the way with a nice thing when you get it started.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Well, young man, you're done for; and so are we, for that matter.
Chapter 2 of A Likely Story by William Dean Howells holds 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 485 sentences of A Likely Story, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Likely Story by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 Likely Story by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 992 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28305, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 82 minutes of reading across 199 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Likely Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Likely Story 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 Likely Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
