Chapter 13 of Second String is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Second String is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LOVER LOOKS PALE. It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him. He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry. He hated details, and, above all other details, figures. His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
Chapter 13 of Second String is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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 “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.”
emerge from the eggs
From this reading “His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.”
moving slowly and gently
From this reading “He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.”
deficient in alertness or activity
From this reading “He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.”
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading “It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.”
relating to or involving money
From this reading “It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.”
with speed
From this reading “It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.”
nonexistent
From this reading “It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.”
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.
sporadically and infrequently
In this reading “He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.”
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
In this reading “His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.”
In this reading “He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.”
In this reading “A LOVER LOOKS PALE.”
In this reading “It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.”
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 A LOVER LOOKS PALE.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
true confidential information
From this reading He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
divisible by two
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
emerge from the eggs
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading He hated details, and, above all other details, figures.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
moving slowly and gently
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
deficient in alertness or activity
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading A LOVER LOOKS PALE.
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading A LOVER LOOKS PALE.
engage in
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading A LOVER LOOKS PALE.
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
relating to or involving money
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
a person, without saying who
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
with speed
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading His work was to hatch ideas; somebody else had to bring up the chickens.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
nonexistent
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was lazy, at times even lethargic; nothing could make him hurry.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It speedily appeared that Gilly Foot had other than pecuniary reasons for wanting a partner; he wanted a pair of hands to work for him.
Chapter 13 of Second String by Anthony Hope holds 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 13 holds 356 sentences of Second String, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Second String by Anthony Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 13 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 Second String by Anthony Hope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9221 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38796 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38796, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1845 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Second String section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Second String 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 Second String, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
