Chapter 2 of Impertinent Poems is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Impertinent Poems is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ARE YOU YOU? Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley? Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly? Are you Somebody Else, or You? Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
Chapter 2 of Impertinent Poems is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading “Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?”
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading “Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?”
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?”
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading “Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?”
bearing or marked with a label or tag
From this reading “Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?”
someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading “Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley?”
a wheeled vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by electricity
From this reading “Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley?”
a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
From this reading “Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ARE YOU YOU?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are you Somebody Else, or You?
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley?
a person, without saying who
From this reading Are you Somebody Else, or You?
successive (without a break)
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
bearing or marked with a label or tag
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley?
a wheeled vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by electricity
From this reading Are you a trailer, or are you a trolley?
a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
From this reading Do you vote by the symbol and swallow it "straight"?
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading Are you tagged to a leader through wisdom and folly?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ARE YOU YOU?
Chapter 2 of Impertinent Poems by Edmund Vance Cooke holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of Impertinent Poems, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Impertinent Poems by Edmund Vance Cooke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Impertinent Poems by Edmund Vance Cooke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 790 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33770 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33770, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 65 minutes of reading across 158 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Impertinent Poems section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Impertinent Poems 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 Impertinent Poems, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
