Chapter 2 of Continuous Vaudeville is here in full — 399 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 Continuous Vaudeville is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director. "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players. "When will he be here?" "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock." "What has the rain got to do with it?"
Chapter 2 of Continuous Vaudeville is here in full — 399 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.
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading “"Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “"Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.”
a musician who plays the violin
From this reading “"Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.”
at risk of or subject to experiencing something usually unpleasant
From this reading “"Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."”
according to the clock
From this reading “"Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."”
plural of “player” — a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
From this reading “"Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.”
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “"Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."”
plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “"Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "When will he be here?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What has the rain got to do with it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
a musician who plays the violin
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "What has the rain got to do with it?"
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What has the rain got to do with it?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
and nothing more
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
at risk of or subject to experiencing something usually unpleasant
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
according to the clock
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
plural of “player” — a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
up to a particular time
From this reading "Well, if it rains he is liable to be in any minute now; if it don't rain he can't get here until six o'clock."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What has the rain got to do with it?"
at the time that
From this reading "When will he be here?"
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "When will he be here?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What has the rain got to do with it?"
but in spite of that
From this reading "Well, he can't get here just yet," replied one of the other players.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where is your bass fiddler?" asked our director.
Chapter 2 of Continuous Vaudeville by Will M. (Will Martin) Cressy holds 399 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 399 sentences of Continuous Vaudeville, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Continuous Vaudeville by Will M. (Will Martin) Cressy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 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 Continuous Vaudeville by Will M. (Will Martin) Cressy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1585 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28327 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28327, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Continuous Vaudeville section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Continuous Vaudeville 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 Continuous Vaudeville, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
