Chapter 2 of The Agony Column is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Agony Column is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail. Slowly it dragged along. At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper. He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else. Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.
Chapter 2 of The Agony Column is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading “He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.”
a line of units following one after another
From this reading “He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.”
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading “At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.”
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading “The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.”
so as to arouse or deserve laughter
From this reading “At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.”
the third day of the week; the second working day
From this reading “Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.”
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 At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
anew
From this reading Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Slowly it dragged along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
a line of units following one after another
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Slowly it dragged along.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
set up or found
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
for this reason
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
not any; not one
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He found it, found the Agony Column--and nothing else.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
so as to arouse or deserve laughter
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.
the act of searching for something
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Slowly it dragged along.
not in physical motion
From this reading Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
the third day of the week; the second working day
From this reading Tuesday morning again he rose early, still hopeful.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next day was Sunday; hence it brought no Mail.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading At a ridiculously early hour Monday morning Geoffrey West was on the street, seeking his favorite newspaper.
Chapter 2 of The Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 201 sentences of The Agony Column, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1780 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1814, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 148 minutes of reading across 356 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Agony Column section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Agony Column 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 Agony Column, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
