Chapter 2 of Havoc is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Havoc is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What’s wrong, old man?” Bellamy asked quickly. Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers. He tossed it off before he spoke a word. Then he turned around and faced his companion.
Chapter 2 of Havoc is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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 glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading “Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “Then he turned around and faced his companion.”
the act of mixing together
From this reading “Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.”
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.”
a tube running from the liquid in a vessel to a lower level outside the vessel so that gravity forces the liquid through the tube
From this reading “Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.”
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “He tossed it off before he spoke a word.”
a shaky motion
From this reading “Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading “Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.”
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 Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Then he turned around and faced his companion.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Bellamy asked quickly.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bellamy asked quickly.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading Then he turned around and faced his companion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
take in liquids
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading Then he turned around and faced his companion.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he turned around and faced his companion.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “What’s wrong, old man?”
the act of mixing together
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “What’s wrong, old man?”
with speed
From this reading Bellamy asked quickly.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
a tube running from the liquid in a vessel to a lower level outside the vessel so that gravity forces the liquid through the tube
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he turned around and faced his companion.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
a shaky motion
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Then he turned around and faced his companion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s wrong, old man?”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dorward from a side table had seized the bottle of whiskey and a siphon, and was mixing himself a drink with trembling fingers.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading He tossed it off before he spoke a word.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “What’s wrong, old man?”
Chapter 2 of Havoc by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 172 sentences of Havoc, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Havoc by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Havoc by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7107 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2287 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2287, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 592 minutes of reading across 1422 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Havoc section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Havoc 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 Havoc, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
