Chapter 2 of The Lever: A Novel is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Lever: A Novel is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice. "Has that been troubling you, my dear?" Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford. Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him." "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
Chapter 2 of The Lever: A Novel is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)
From this reading “Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.”
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."”
third-person singular of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."”
plural of “offer” — the verbal act of offering
From this reading “Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “"Has that been troubling you, my dear?"”
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.”
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 Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
any thing at all
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
third-person singular of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
dearly loved
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
a young female
From this reading "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
a form of address for a man
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
plural of “offer” — the verbal act of offering
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "You do too, don't you, Allen?" the girl asked.
having come into contact
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Mrs. Gorham laughed as she turned to Alice.
precisely as stated
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
at the time that
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
which person or people
From this reading Alice thinks that a man who chooses anything but a business career is blind to what life offers him."
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
the day immediately before today
From this reading Then to Allen: "You touched on a very live wire when you said what you did yesterday, Mr. Sanford.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Has that been troubling you, my dear?"
Chapter 2 of The Lever: A Novel by William Dana Orcutt holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of The Lever: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Lever: A Novel by William Dana Orcutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Lever: A Novel by William Dana Orcutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4681 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15430 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15430, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 937 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lever: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Lever: A 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 Lever: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
