Chapter 2 of The Burglars' Club is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Burglars' Club is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That's what I should like to know," said the prelate. "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you." "Indeed! What for?" "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
Chapter 2 of The Burglars' Club is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading “"I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “"Indeed!”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “"That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “"Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."”
make a painting
From this reading “"I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.”
a senior clergyman and dignitary
From this reading “"That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “"Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."”
showing curiosity
From this reading “"I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.”
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.
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 "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Indeed!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
make a painting
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
a senior clergyman and dignitary
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "That's what I should like to know," said the prelate.
showing curiosity
From this reading "I--er--was wondering if you had a camel-hair paint brush?" said Mr. Kassala.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Kassala says he is looking for you."
Chapter 2 of The Burglars' Club by Henry Augustus Hering holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 433 sentences of The Burglars' Club, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Burglars' Club by Henry Augustus Hering exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Burglars' Club by Henry Augustus Hering on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4272 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40897 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40897, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 855 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Burglars' Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Burglars' Club 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 Burglars' Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
