Chapter 2 of Stories from the Chap-Book is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stories from the Chap-Book is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work. “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely. Oreste shrugged his shoulders. “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.” The Signore shrugged in his turn.
Chapter 2 of Stories from the Chap-Book is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading ““Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.””
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
a small number or amount
From this reading ““I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading ““Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.”
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading ““I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.”
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading “Oreste shrugged his shoulders.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Oreste shrugged his shoulders.”
an Italian title of respect for a man; equivalent to the English “sir”; used separately (not prefixed to his name)
From this reading ““Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.”
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 ““Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.””
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 “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
without stop or interruption
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
a small number or amount
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Oreste shrugged his shoulders.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Signore shrugged in his turn.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Oreste shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Oreste shrugged his shoulders.
an Italian title of respect for a man; equivalent to the English “sir”; used separately (not prefixed to his name)
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Not great things,--but, _altro_, I am content.”
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading The Signore shrugged in his turn.
which person or people
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, Signore,” Oreste smiled with the satisfied air of one who has done a good day’s work.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I suppose you have made a handful of money,” continued the Signore, severely.
Chapter 2 of Stories from the Chap-Book by Katharine Lee [Contributor] Bates holds 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 489 sentences of Stories from the Chap-Book, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stories from the Chap-Book by Katharine Lee [Contributor] Bates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 489 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Stories from the Chap-Book by Katharine Lee [Contributor] Bates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2388 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53991 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53991, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 478 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories from the Chap-Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Stories from the Chap-Book 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 Stories from the Chap-Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
