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Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Manhattan Transfer
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”
Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”
“I didnt say no such thing.
I didnt even think it.
All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Manhattan Transfer

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter 28 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”
Line 2
Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”
/ˈænəz vɔɪs ɡoʊz ɑːn ɪn æn ˈiːvɪn ˈwɪmpər æn naʊ kɑːz aɪ teɪk ə ʃaɪn tuː juː ənd wɑːnt tuː ɡɪv juː ə ɡʊd taɪm juː kɔːl miː ə ˈɡɑːddæm hɔːr/
Line 3
“I didnt say no such thing.
Line 4
I didnt even think it.
Line 5
All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

Learner Dictionary

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.

Anna noun US /ˈænə/

a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading ““Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.””

Anna's noun US /ˈænəz/

possessive form of “anna” — a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

goddam adjective US /ˈɡɑːddæm/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading “Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.””

Hell noun US /hel/

any place of pain and turmoil

From this reading ““Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.””

shine verb US /ʃaɪn/

be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading “Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.””

sport noun US /spɔːrt/

an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

From this reading “All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....”

whimper verb US /ˈwɪmpər/

cry weakly or softly

From this reading “Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.””

whore noun US /hɔːr/

a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money

From this reading “Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.””

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

goes on verb + particle counted as “go on”

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

In this reading “Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.””

good time adjective + noun

a highly pleasurable or exciting experience

In this reading “Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.””

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

aint

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

AnnanounUS /ˈænə/

a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

Anna'snounUS /ˈænəz/

possessive form of “anna” — a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

causenounUS /kɑːz/

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

didnt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I didnt say no such thing.

earsnounUS /ɪrz/

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

gamenounUS /ɡeɪm/

a contest with rules to determine a winner

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

goddamadjectiveUS /ˈɡɑːddæm/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

goesnounUS /ɡoʊz/

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

HellnounUS /hel/

any place of pain and turmoil

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

honestadjectiveUS /ˈɑːnəst/

not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

I'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

kewpie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading “I didnt say no such thing.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading “I didnt say no such thing.

shineverbUS /ʃaɪn/

be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

sportnounUS /spɔːrt/

an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading “I didnt say no such thing.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading “I didnt say no such thing.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading I didnt even think it.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading All I thought was that you was a dead game sport and not a kewpie above the ears like most of ’em....

wasnt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

WestnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

whimperverbUS /ˈwɪmpər/

cry weakly or softly

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

whorenounUS /hɔːr/

a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money

From this reading Anna’s voice goes on in an even whimper, “An now ’cause I take a shine to you and want to give you a good time you call me a goddam whore.”

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Hell Anna, things aint so bad, honest I’d take you West with me if it wasnt for my wife.”

Chapter 28 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 28 of Manhattan Transfer contain?

Chapter 28 holds 410 sentences of Manhattan Transfer, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

How do I study chapter 28 of Manhattan Transfer?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading Manhattan Transfer

Common questions about reading Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Manhattan Transfer?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Manhattan Transfer is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Manhattan Transfer take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Manhattan Transfer section by section

How to work through Manhattan Transfer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Manhattan Transfer

Words and structures a reader meets early in Manhattan Transfer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.