Chapter 17 of Manhattan Transfer 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 XVII
Chapter 17 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What nonsense. It’s no business of mine.” “Now you know why I want to kill myself.... Oh it’s not fair Herf, it’s not fair.... I’ve had no luck in my life.
Chapter 17 of Manhattan Transfer 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.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “It’s no business of mine.””
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “Oh it’s not fair Herf, it’s not fair....”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading ““Now you know why I want to kill myself....”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “I’ve had no luck in my life.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It’s no business of mine.””
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading ““Now you know why I want to kill myself....”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading ““What nonsense.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading ““Now you know why I want to kill myself....”
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.
In this reading ““Now you know why I want to kill myself....”
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.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading It’s no business of mine.”
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading Oh it’s not fair Herf, it’s not fair....
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I’ve had no luck in my life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh it’s not fair Herf, it’s not fair....
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve had no luck in my life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I’ve had no luck in my life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s no business of mine.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I’ve had no luck in my life.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading I’ve had no luck in my life.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It’s no business of mine.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I’ve had no luck in my life.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
not any; not one
From this reading It’s no business of mine.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “What nonsense.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Oh it’s not fair Herf, it’s not fair....
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It’s no business of mine.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh it’s not fair Herf, it’s not fair....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What nonsense.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now you know why I want to kill myself....
Chapter 17 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos 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 17 holds 399 sentences of Manhattan Transfer, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos 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 17 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 Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Manhattan Transfer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer 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 Manhattan Transfer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
