Chapter 2 of The Fatal Boots is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Fatal Boots is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Ah, indeed!” said I. “Stiffney is a relation of mine. And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?” He replied, “Three pounds.” “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
Chapter 2 of The Fatal Boots is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?””
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ““Stiffney is a relation of mine.”
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading ““Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.””
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “He replied, “Three pounds.””
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading ““Stiffney is a relation of mine.”
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading ““Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.””
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?””
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading ““Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.””
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 “Stiffney is a relation of mine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, indeed!” said I.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
in a perplexed manner
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
dearly loved
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He replied, “Three pounds.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Ah, indeed!” said I.
an impudent statement
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “Ah, indeed!” said I.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Stiffney is a relation of mine.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Stiffney is a relation of mine.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Stiffney is a relation of mine.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading He replied, “Three pounds.”
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading “Stiffney is a relation of mine.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading He replied, “Three pounds.”
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Ah, indeed!” said I.
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Stiffney is a relation of mine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading He replied, “Three pounds.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And what, you scoundrel, will you have the impudence to ask for these things?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well,” said I, “they are confoundedly dear; but, as you will have a long time to wait for your money, why, I shall have my revenge you see.”
Chapter 2 of The Fatal Boots by William Makepeace Thackeray holds 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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 181 sentences of The Fatal Boots, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Fatal Boots by William Makepeace Thackeray exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Fatal Boots by William Makepeace Thackeray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 897 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2844 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2844, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 74 minutes of reading across 180 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fatal Boots section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Fatal Boots 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 Fatal Boots, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
