Chapter 2 of Further Foolishness is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Further Foolishness is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You must not die!" "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says. It is for Russia!" But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street. All paused.
Chapter 2 of Further Foolishness is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “"You must not die!"”
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading “But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.”
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading “But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “All paused.”
with low volume
From this reading “"My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.”
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
From this reading “It is for Russia!"”
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.”
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 But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
(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 All paused.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "You must not die!"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It is for Russia!"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is for Russia!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "You must not die!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You must not die!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading All paused.
with low volume
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
From this reading It is for Russia!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "My brother," said Kwitoff quietly, "let it be as he says.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You must not die!"
Chapter 2 of Further Foolishness by Stephen Leacock holds 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 441 sentences of Further Foolishness, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Further Foolishness by Stephen Leacock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Further Foolishness by Stephen Leacock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3524 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11504 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11504, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Further Foolishness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Further Foolishness 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 Further Foolishness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
