Chapter 2 of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently. "What is all this about?" he asked. "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this? What have you to do with it? What have I to do with it?
Chapter 2 of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
compacted by ironing
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What is all this about?" he asked.
(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 all this about?" he asked.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is all this about?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What have you to do with it?
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What have you to do with it?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What have I to do with it?
with strained or eager attention
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is all this about?" he asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What have you to do with it?
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
compacted by ironing
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
and nothing more
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
express in words
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "What is all this about?" he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is all this about?" he asked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. Caruthers was looking at him with his lips pressed closely together, and his eyebrows drawn into the shape of the letter V. He leaned forward, and looked at Van Bibber intently.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you come here, Mr. Van Bibber, simply to tell me this?
Chapter 2 of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life by Richard Harding Davis holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 198 sentences of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Episodes in Van Bibber's Life by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 605 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #334, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 50 minutes of reading across 121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Episodes in Van Bibber's Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Episodes in Van Bibber's Life 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 Episodes in Van Bibber's Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
