Chapter 2 of The Great American Novel is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Great American Novel is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here. You're new; how interesting. Can you read the letters on that chart? Open your mouth. Breathe.
Chapter 2 of The Great American Novel is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading “Breathe.”
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.”
a visual display of information
From this reading “Can you read the letters on that chart?”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “You're new; how interesting.”
the literary culture
From this reading “Can you read the letters on that chart?”
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading “Open your mouth.”
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “Open your mouth.”
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading “Can you read the letters on that chart?”
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.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading Breathe.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
a visual display of information
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're new; how interesting.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading You're new; how interesting.
the literary culture
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Open your mouth.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Open your mouth.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you read the letters on that chart?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm new, said she, I don't think you'll find my card here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're new; how interesting.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Open your mouth.
Chapter 2 of The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 172 sentences of The Great American Novel, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 157 minutes of reading across 377 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Great American Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Great American Novel 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 Great American Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
