Chapter 2 of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair." "Impossible, Van! They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly. "There are many qualities of ear-muffs. These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
Chapter 2 of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
From this reading “"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."”
plural of “muff” — a warm tubular covering for the hands
From this reading “"There are many qualities of ear-muffs.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.”
plural of “quality” — an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “"There are many qualities of ear-muffs.”
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading “"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."”
being five more than twenty
From this reading “"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."”
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 “"The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."”
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 "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are many qualities of ear-muffs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There are many qualities of ear-muffs.
in a serious manner
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
a boy or man
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "Impossible, Van!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "There are many qualities of ear-muffs.
plural of “muff” — a warm tubular covering for the hands
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "There are many qualities of ear-muffs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
plural of “quality” — an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading "There are many qualities of ear-muffs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
Identical; not different.
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
cut with a saw
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are many qualities of ear-muffs.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
being five more than twenty
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "Impossible, Van!
precisely as stated
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These are the very best-double-elastic, wire-set and-bound, storm-proof muffs.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "The fellow I saw must have stolen his," he said, "for he was selling them yesterday on Broadway for twenty-five cents a pair."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading They couldn't be the same, you know," protested Barrifield, earnestly.
Chapter 2 of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper by Albert Bigelow Paine holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 455 sentences of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper by Albert Bigelow Paine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Bread Line: A Story of a Paper by Albert Bigelow Paine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2275 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34023 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34023, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 189 minutes of reading across 455 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Bread Line: A Story of a Paper 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 Bread Line: A Story of a Paper, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
