Chapter 2 of The Abysmal Brute is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Abysmal Brute is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him." After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat. "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked. Pat shook his head. "One Punch Glendon."
Chapter 2 of The Abysmal Brute is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading “After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.”
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading “After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.”
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
From this reading “After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.”
United States circus clown (1898-1979)
From this reading “"No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.”
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “"One Punch Glendon."”
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “"No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."”
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
From this reading “After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.”
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.
to cause inconvenience or discomfort to
In this reading “After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.”
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 "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
later than; following
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
European freshwater game fish with a thick spindle-shaped body
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "One Punch Glendon."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Pat shook his head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Pat shook his head.
cause to move by striking
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
United States circus clown (1898-1979)
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
not any; not one
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One Punch Glendon."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading "One Punch Glendon."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
treat in a rough or boisterous manner
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Pat shook his head.
express in speech
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
From this reading After Chub Collins had been put out in the twelfth second of the first round of a fifteen-round contest, Stubener felt compelled to speak to Pat.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "No wonder," he told a reporter, "that Rough-House Kelly thought the roof hit him."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you know what they're calling you now?" he asked.
Chapter 2 of The Abysmal Brute by Jack London holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of The Abysmal Brute, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Abysmal Brute by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 The Abysmal Brute by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1786 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55948 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55948, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 148 minutes of reading across 358 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Abysmal Brute section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Abysmal Brute 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 The Abysmal Brute, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
