Chapter 2 of The First and the Last is here in full — 416 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 First and the Last is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LARRY. [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it. KErra. You fool! Give that to me.
Chapter 2 of The First and the Last is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “[Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.”
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “[Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.”
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading “[Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “[Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “You fool!”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Give that to me.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “[Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “[Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.”
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 [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading You fool!
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give that to me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KErra.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LARRY.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Give that to me.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Give that to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Give that to me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading [Bringing out a little box] I'd better have done with it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You fool!
Chapter 2 of The First and the Last by John Galsworthy holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The First and the Last, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The First and the Last by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 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 First and the Last by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1245 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2918 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2918, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 103 minutes of reading across 249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First and the Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The First and the Last 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 First and the Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
