Chapter 2 of The Clock Strikes Thirteen is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Clock Strikes Thirteen is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised. "But not by Clem. He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back." "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house." "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
Chapter 2 of The Clock Strikes Thirteen is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
with anger
From this reading “"Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.”
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading “"Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.”
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading “"Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “"Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.”
relieve from
From this reading “"Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.”
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “"Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “"Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “"Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.”
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 "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
with anger
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But not by Clem.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "But not by Clem.
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But not by Clem.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But not by Clem.
relieve from
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
carry out
From this reading "Sorry, but I'll have to take a look in the house."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went to town in the flivver, and he ain't been back."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why Sal _has_ been rid!" she exclaimed as if genuinely surprised.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Search it from cellar to attic!" the woman said angrily.
Chapter 2 of The Clock Strikes Thirteen by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of The Clock Strikes Thirteen, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Clock Strikes Thirteen by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Clock Strikes Thirteen by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3792 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34403 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34403, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 316 minutes of reading across 759 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Clock Strikes Thirteen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Clock Strikes Thirteen 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 Clock Strikes Thirteen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
