Chapter 2 of Imaginary Interviews 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 Imaginary Interviews is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's no use my going back. I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him. Don't turn me out! I take it all back about your being a Chaser. You are the first act on the bill for me.
Chapter 2 of Imaginary Interviews 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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “You are the first act on the bill for me.”
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “You are the first act on the bill for me.”
a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading “I take it all back about your being a Chaser.”
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading “I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.”
the organ of sight
From this reading “I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.”
the quality of being final or definitely settled
From this reading “I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.”
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
From this reading “I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.”
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 I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
(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 I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "It's no use my going back.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't turn me out!
the organ of sight
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the quality of being final or definitely settled
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the act of departing
From this reading "It's no use my going back.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's no use my going back.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Don't turn me out!
used to form the superlative
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It's no use my going back.
not any; not one
From this reading "It's no use my going back.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Don't turn me out!
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
carry out
From this reading I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Don't turn me out!
the act of using
From this reading "It's no use my going back.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I read finality in his eye before I left him, and I feel that no compliment, the most fulsome, would move him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You are the first act on the bill for me.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I take it all back about your being a Chaser.
Chapter 2 of Imaginary Interviews by William Dean Howells 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 Imaginary Interviews, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Imaginary Interviews by William Dean Howells 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 Imaginary Interviews by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3986 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28763 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28763, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 332 minutes of reading across 798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Imaginary Interviews section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Imaginary Interviews 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 Imaginary Interviews, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
