Chapter 2 of Poison: A Farce is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Poison: A Farce is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MARY JANE. It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation. TWITTERS. Damn Christian resignation. (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
Chapter 2 of Poison: A Farce is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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 “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading “It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.”
concealing something under the ground
From this reading “It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.”
used as expletives
From this reading “Damn Christian resignation.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “(_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.”
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading “(_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.”
plural of “pick” — the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “(_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.”
plural of “pitch” — the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
acceptance of despair
From this reading “It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.”
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 (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
concealing something under the ground
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
used as expletives
From this reading Damn Christian resignation.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
destroyed or killed
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MARY JANE.
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 It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading MARY JANE.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
plural of “pick” — the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
plural of “pitch” — the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
acceptance of despair
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
term of address for a man
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
express in words
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It’s her’s, sir; she’s been and gone and took the boots to the burying, and she’s left nothing behind but Christian resignation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TWITTERS.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading (_Pitches box across stage; a letter falls out; he picks it up and opens it during speech._) Call Miss Clara and tell her I’ll breakfast with her.
Chapter 2 of Poison: A Farce by George M. (George Melville) Baker holds 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 453 sentences of Poison: A Farce, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Poison: A Farce by George M. (George Melville) Baker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Poison: A Farce by George M. (George Melville) Baker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49480 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49480, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 112 minutes of reading across 270 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poison: A Farce section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Poison: A Farce 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 Poison: A Farce, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
