Chapter 2 of Pig iron is here in full — 556 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Pig iron is here in full — 556 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.” As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She stood as if held by a vice. “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good? I owe so much to Walter.”
Chapter 2 of Pig iron is here in full — 556 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/111 · 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 declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary)
From this reading “As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.”
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “I owe so much to Walter.””
compacted by ironing
From this reading “As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.”
the upper part of anything
From this reading “As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading ““But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.””
moral weakness
From this reading “She stood as if held by a vice.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “I owe so much to Walter.””
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 She stood as if held by a vice.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary)
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She stood as if held by a vice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading She stood as if held by a vice.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She stood as if held by a vice.
a small worthless amount
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I owe so much to Walter.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading I owe so much to Walter.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
compacted by ironing
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood as if held by a vice.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I owe so much to Walter.”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood as if held by a vice.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
the upper part of anything
From this reading As Jack made this assertion he drew Betty gently back to him and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
moral weakness
From this reading She stood as if held by a vice.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading I owe so much to Walter.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “But I am vain enough to think that had I not been here the ‘things to do’ would have remained as they were.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Please--please, Jack, won’t you help me to be good?
Chapter 2 of Pig iron by Dudrea Parker holds 556 sentences, grouped into 112 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 556 sentences of Pig iron, unabridged, divided into 112 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Pig iron by Dudrea Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 556 sentences, grouped into 112 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 112 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 112 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 Pig iron by Dudrea Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1106 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76387 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76387, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 92 minutes of reading across 222 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pig iron section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Pig iron 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 Pig iron, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
