Chapter 2 of Out for Business is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Out for Business is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. TALBOT AND THE DOG. "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house. "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise." "I'll take him by surprise!" said Talbot spitefully.
Chapter 2 of Out for Business is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “TALBOT AND THE DOG.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “"You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “"You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.”
express a supposition
From this reading “"He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “"He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."”
English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)
From this reading “TALBOT AND THE DOG.”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “"You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.”
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading “"You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.”
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 “"You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.”
a cheerful and agreeable mood
In this reading “"He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."”
In this reading “"He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."”
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 "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TALBOT AND THE DOG.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading TALBOT AND THE DOG.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I'll take him by surprise!" said Talbot spitefully.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll take him by surprise!" said Talbot spitefully.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
a male human offspring
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
in a maliciously spiteful manner
From this reading "I'll take him by surprise!" said Talbot spitefully.
express a supposition
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
carry out
From this reading "I'll take him by surprise!" said Talbot spitefully.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)
From this reading TALBOT AND THE DOG.
express in words
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TALBOT AND THE DOG.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He has a good temper, James, but I suppose he was taken by surprise."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
at the time that
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You didn't tell me what a violent temper your son had," said James Talbot, when Robert had left the house.
Chapter 2 of Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of Out for Business, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Out for Business by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4464 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 372 minutes of reading across 893 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Out for Business section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Out for Business 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 Out for Business, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
