Chapter 2 of Mr. Marx's Secret is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Mr. Marx's Secret is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. FRANCIS. I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before. It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures. He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
Chapter 2 of Mr. Marx's Secret is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading “It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.”
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading “He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.”
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading “He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.”
work hard
From this reading “He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.”
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 “It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.”
In this reading “He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.”
In this reading “It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.”
In this reading “I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
later than; following
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
Having no one else present.
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FRANCIS.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
and nothing more
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
information about recent and important events
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
To recall to mind.
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
work hard
From this reading He had just come in for tea, flushed with toil and labouring in the hot sun.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I was alone with my father in the kitchen, and he was looking as I had never seen him look before.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading It was late in the afternoon--as near as I can remember, about six weeks after the news had reached us of Mr. Ravenor's wonderful adventures.
Chapter 2 of Mr. Marx's Secret by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 123 sentences of Mr. Marx's Secret, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Mr. Marx's Secret by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Mr. Marx's Secret by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5304 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39018 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39018, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 442 minutes of reading across 1061 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr. Marx's Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Mr. Marx's Secret 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 Mr. Marx's Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
