Chapter 2 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man. Let this thing go--you can't mend it. Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find. We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout. I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
Chapter 2 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading “I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.”
United States literary critic and historian (1886-1963)
From this reading “We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.”
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading “I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.”
a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school
From this reading “Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “Let this thing go--you can't mend it.”
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading “We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.”
flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes
From this reading “We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “"Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.”
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 I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
United States literary critic and historian (1886-1963)
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
staying power
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
engage in
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
carry out
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
a special situation
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishes
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading We have the May weather, good legs, and our tackle, and the brooks are full of trout.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
in or at the place that
From this reading I kill nothing bigger than fish, but if you want a change I'll show you where you can have a chance for deer.
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Let this thing go--you can't mend it.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Follow your own doctrine, and take what you find.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Don't make yourself wretched about me, old man.
Chapter 2 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4168 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26847 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26847, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 834 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Pessimist in Theory and Practice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice 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 Pessimist in Theory and Practice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
