Chapter 2 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce is here in full — 479 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Yardsley_ (_with a laugh_). That's one on you, Barlow. But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now. If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk. I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.
Chapter 2 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce is here in full — 479 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.
United States naturalist who contributed to paleontology and geology (1884-1960)
From this reading “I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.”
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading “But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.”
a farewell remark
From this reading “I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.”
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading “If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.”
the sound of laughing
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.”
look attentively
From this reading “But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.”
United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)
From this reading “If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.”
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 “I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.”
by a factor of four
In this reading “But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.”
pursue or resume
In this reading “If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.”
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 _Yardsley_ (_with a laugh_).
later than; following
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
United States naturalist who contributed to paleontology and geology (1884-1960)
From this reading I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's one on you, Barlow.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
a farewell remark
From this reading I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
the sound of laughing
From this reading _Yardsley_ (_with a laugh_).
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading I'll say good-bye to Miss Andrews for you.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That's one on you, Barlow.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That's one on you, Barlow.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
express in words
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
carry out
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's one on you, Barlow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
precisely as stated
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
look attentively
From this reading But I say, old man (_taking out his watch and snapping the cover to three or four times_), it's getting very late--after five now.
United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Yardsley_ (_with a laugh_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Yardsley_ (_with a laugh_).
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That's one on you, Barlow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you want to go with Billie Wilkins you'd better take up your hat and walk.
Chapter 2 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce by John Kendrick Bangs holds 479 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 479 sentences of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 479 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
