Chapter 2 of A Safety Match is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Safety Match is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut. "Mr Brash? Mr Wilkie?" No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say. Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
Chapter 2 of A Safety Match is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.”
offensively bold
From this reading “"Mr Brash?”
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading “Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.”
an asset of special worth or utility
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.”
a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
From this reading “"Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.”
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 “"Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.”
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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
any thing at all
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
offensively bold
From this reading "Mr Brash?
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
an asset of special worth or utility
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
a man of refinement
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr Brash?
not any; not one
From this reading No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
express in words
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading No, the gentlemen addressed had nothing to say.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Their _forte_ was plainly that of chorus.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr Wilkie?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would any other gentleman like to say anything?" inquired Juggernaut.
Chapter 2 of A Safety Match by Ian Hay holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of A Safety Match, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Safety Match by Ian Hay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Safety Match by Ian Hay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4445 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39172 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39172, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 889 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Safety Match section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of A Safety Match 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 Safety Match, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
