Chapter 2 of Ajax, for example is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Ajax, for example is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax. Did you hit him first?” “I did not. Nor second or third. In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
Chapter 2 of Ajax, for example is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
a mythical Greek hero; a warrior who fought against Troy in the Iliad
From this reading ““I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.”
hold firmly
From this reading “In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.””
cause to move by striking
From this reading “Did you hit him first?””
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.””
long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call
From this reading ““I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.”
past form of “pummel” — strike, usually with the fist
From this reading “In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.””
past form of “retaliate” — take revenge for a perceived wrong
From this reading “In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.””
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading ““I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.”
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 “In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.””
In this reading ““I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.””
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’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
a mythical Greek hero; a warrior who fought against Troy in the Iliad
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you hit him first?”
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Did you hit him first?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
hold firmly
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Did you hit him first?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading Did you hit him first?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I did not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor second or third.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I did not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Nor second or third.
past form of “pummel” — strike, usually with the fist
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
past form of “retaliate” — take revenge for a perceived wrong
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Nor second or third.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Nor second or third.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In fact he pummeled me for some time before I seemed to grasp his intentions, and then I retaliated.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I’ve heard of boot-leggers,” says Magpie, “but you must ’a’ sprung from a family of boot-fighters, Ajax.
Chapter 2 of Ajax, for example by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of Ajax, for example, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Ajax, for example by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Ajax, for example by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 819 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 68 minutes of reading across 164 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ajax, for example section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Ajax, for example 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 Ajax, for example, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
