Chapter 2 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857. "What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven? That is an odd slip. He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course." I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
Chapter 2 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.”
being one more than seventeen
From this reading “"What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven?”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one
From this reading “He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course."”
not divisible by two
From this reading “That is an odd slip.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.”
move stealthily
From this reading “That is an odd slip.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading That is an odd slip.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course."
being one more than seventeen
From this reading "What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven?
being seven more than fifty
From this reading "What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is an odd slip.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course."
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one
From this reading He means nineteen fifty-seven, of course."
not any; not one
From this reading I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
not divisible by two
From this reading That is an odd slip.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
accept an excuse for
From this reading I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
cut with a saw
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
express in words
From this reading "What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven?
move stealthily
From this reading That is an odd slip.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is an odd slip.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I beg pardon, but there is no mistake.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven?
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What!" you say, "eighteen fifty-seven?
Chapter 2 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 105 sentences of Looking Backward: 2000-1887, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25439 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25439, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 670 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Looking Backward: 2000-1887 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Looking Backward: 2000-1887 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 Looking Backward: 2000-1887, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
