Chapter 2 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 417 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 History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Morrison advanced. Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace. "Come out of that window," he said. "You can't dress it. If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
Chapter 2 of The History of Mr. Polly is here in full — 417 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.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading “Morrison advanced.”
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading “Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.”
move or strike with a noise
From this reading “Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.”
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading “If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.”
United States rock singer (1943-1971)
From this reading “Morrison advanced.”
United States sociologist (1902-1979)
From this reading “Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.”
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 Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading Morrison advanced.
(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 If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't dress it.
move or strike with a noise
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come out of that window," he said.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
put on clothes
From this reading "You can't dress it.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Come out of that window," he said.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You can't dress it.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
United States rock singer (1943-1971)
From this reading Morrison advanced.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Come out of that window," he said.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Come out of that window," he said.
United States sociologist (1902-1979)
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
participate in games or sport
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
precisely, exactly
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come out of that window," he said.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
in or at that place or location
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading "Come out of that window," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you want to play the fool with a window----" "This window's All Right," said the genius in window dressing, and there was a little pause.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Parsons shut the door with a click that arrested Mr. Garvace.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You can't dress it.
Chapter 2 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells holds 417 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 417 sentences of The History of Mr. Polly, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 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 History of Mr. Polly by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4489 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 898 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The History of Mr. Polly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The History of Mr. Polly 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 History of Mr. Polly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
