Chapter 2 of The devil downstairs is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The devil downstairs is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I don't believe it," said Pearl. "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil." "Maybe you're right," said Joe. "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose." "By the way," said Pearl.
Chapter 2 of The devil downstairs is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading “"The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."”
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
third-person singular of “occupy” — keep busy with
From this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading “"I don't believe it," said Pearl.”
with a possibility of becoming actual
From this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."”
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.
be unleashed; emerge with violence or noise
In this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
In this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
In this reading “"And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."”
introducing a different topic
In this reading “"By the way," said Pearl.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I don't believe it," said Pearl.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
terminate
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By the way," said Pearl.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't believe it," said Pearl.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't believe it," said Pearl.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I don't believe it," said Pearl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe you're right," said Joe.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
by chance
From this reading "Maybe you're right," said Joe.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
third-person singular of “occupy” — keep busy with
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading "I don't believe it," said Pearl.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
with a possibility of becoming actual
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Maybe you're right," said Joe.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I don't believe it," said Pearl.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The Bible says Satan is the author of all evil."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "By the way," said Pearl.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And if you are, and he should get loose with the world in the potentially dangerous position it now occupies, all hell could break loose."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe you're right," said Joe.
Chapter 2 of The devil downstairs by P. F. Costello holds 499 sentences, grouped into 100 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 499 sentences of The devil downstairs, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The devil downstairs by P. F. Costello exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 499 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 devil downstairs by P. F. Costello on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The devil downstairs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The devil downstairs 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 devil downstairs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
