Chapter 2 of Bones and I is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Bones and I is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?” I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat. “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes? Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens? What is the object of it all?
Chapter 2 of Bones and I is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.”
(anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion)
From this reading ““Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?”
plural of “rosette” — an ornament or pattern resembling a rose that is worn as a badge of office or as recognition of having won an honor
From this reading ““Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?”
a card game in which you play your sevens and other cards in sequence in the same suit as the sevens; you win if you are the first to use all your cards
From this reading “Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?”
a particular situation
From this reading ““Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?”
plural of “six” — the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?”
skintight knit hose covering the body from the waist to the feet worn by acrobats and dancers and as stockings by women and girls
From this reading ““Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?”
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading ““ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?””
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 “Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?”
In this reading ““Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?”
the act of beginning something new
In this reading ““Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?”
In this reading “Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?”
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.
anew
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading What is the object of it all?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
at any time
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What is the object of it all?
(anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion)
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading What is the object of it all?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
very large; of exceptional size for its kind
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
plural of “rosette” — an ornament or pattern resembling a rose that is worn as a badge of office or as recognition of having won an honor
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading I exclaim, plumping down again into my seat.
a card game in which you play your sevens and other cards in sequence in the same suit as the sevens; you win if you are the first to use all your cards
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
a particular situation
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
from a time in the past until now
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
plural of “six” — the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
not in physical motion
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
skintight knit hose covering the body from the waist to the feet worn by acrobats and dancers and as stockings by women and girls
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is the object of it all?
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “ON WASTE” “Why are these things so?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Why have the times been out of joint ever since Hamlet’s first appearance on the stage, with black tights and rosettes in his shoes?
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Why is the whole world still at sixes and sevens?
Chapter 2 of Bones and I by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 119 sentences of Bones and I, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Bones and I by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Bones and I by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1570 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71789 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71789, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 130 minutes of reading across 314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bones and I section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Bones and I 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 Bones and I, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
