Chapter 2 of Questionable Shapes is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Questionable Shapes is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, it is. It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it. Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?” “I never said a ghost. I said an apparition.
Chapter 2 of Questionable Shapes is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
in actual fact
From this reading “Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?””
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading “I said an apparition.”
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?””
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?””
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.”
an affirmative
From this reading ““Yes, it is.”
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 Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
in actual fact
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I said an apparition.
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading I said an apparition.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I never said a ghost.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I never said a ghost.
cut with a saw
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
express in words
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It’s so bad that sometimes I can’t realize it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, it is.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you actually mean to tell me, Hewson that you saw a ghost in my house?”
Chapter 2 of Questionable Shapes by William Dean Howells holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Questionable Shapes, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Questionable Shapes by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Questionable Shapes by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2014 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 403 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Questionable Shapes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Questionable Shapes 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 Questionable Shapes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
