Chapter 2 of The Man Who Could Not Lose is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Man Who Could Not Lose is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised. No one knew about it, so no one bought it!” “Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author. “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly. “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
Chapter 2 of The Man Who Could Not Lose is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
called to public attention
From this reading ““That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading ““We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.”
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading ““Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading ““It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.”
conveyance consisting of a wheeled support on which a camera can be mounted
From this reading ““That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.”
being one more than ten
From this reading ““Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.”
with loyalty; in a loyal manner
From this reading ““That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.”
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading ““That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.”
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 “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
called to public attention
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading “Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
conveyance consisting of a wheeled support on which a camera can be mounted
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
being one more than ten
From this reading “Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.
at any time
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
with loyalty; in a loyal manner
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
not any; not one
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading No one knew about it, so no one bought it!”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Eleven people bought it!” corrected the author.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It’s the best detective story I ever read, and people have got to know it is the best.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That book,” declared Dolly loyally, “was never properly advertised.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “We will put it in a paper cover and sell it for fifty cents,” cried Dolly.
Chapter 2 of The Man Who Could Not Lose by Richard Harding Davis holds 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 227 sentences of The Man Who Could Not Lose, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Man Who Could Not Lose by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Man Who Could Not Lose by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1760 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1760, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 75 minutes of reading across 181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Could Not Lose section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Man Who Could Not Lose 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 Man Who Could Not Lose, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
