Chapter 2 of Off duty is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Off duty is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“‘Stop!’ he murmured. ‘You’re robbin’ me.’ “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says. ‘Don’t judge me hastily. I’m a philanthropist.
Chapter 2 of Off duty is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ““‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “‘Don’t judge me hastily.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “‘Don’t judge me hastily.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading ““‘Stop!’ he murmured.”
someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being
From this reading “I’m a philanthropist.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading ““‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading ““‘Stop!’ he murmured.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading ““‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.”
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 I’m a philanthropist.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Don’t judge me hastily.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading ‘Don’t judge me hastily.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “‘Stop!’ he murmured.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m a philanthropist.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading ‘Don’t judge me hastily.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘You’re robbin’ me.’
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “‘Stop!’ he murmured.
someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being
From this reading I’m a philanthropist.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You’re robbin’ me.’
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “‘Stop!’ he murmured.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “‘Well, you begun it,’ I says.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You’re robbin’ me.’
Chapter 2 of Off duty by Wilhelmina [Compiler] Harper holds 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 383 sentences of Off duty, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Off duty by Wilhelmina [Compiler] Harper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 Off duty by Wilhelmina [Compiler] Harper 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 Off duty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Off duty 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 Off duty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
