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The Man Who Drove the Car
The Man Who Drove the Car

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Man Who Drove the Car is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Man Who Drove the Car
Context Illustration Reading 1/88 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"You seem to be angry about it, my boy."
"Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.
The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.
Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?
He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Man Who Drove the Car

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Man Who Drove the Car is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"You seem to be angry about it, my boy."
/juː siːm tuː biː ˈæŋɡri əˈbaʊt ɪt maɪ bɔɪ/
Line 2
"Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.
Line 3
The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.
/ðə ɡɜːrlz hiː duː noʊ ənd ˈmoʊstli ˈæftər em wen ðə sʌnz ɡɔːn daʊn/
Line 4
Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?
/wʊd ɪt biː ðə jʌŋ ˈleɪdi æt ˈbrɪstəl ðɪs taɪm ɔːr əˈnʌðər/
Line 5
He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

Learner Dictionary

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.

angry adjective US /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading “"You seem to be angry about it, my boy."”

Bristol noun US /ˈbrɪstəl/

an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon

From this reading “Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?”

cured adjective US /kjʊrd/

freed from illness or injury

From this reading “He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.”

drinking noun US /ˈdrɪŋkɪŋ/

the act of consuming liquids

From this reading “He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.”

girls noun US /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading “The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.”

mostly adverb US /ˈmoʊstli/

in large part; mainly or chiefly

From this reading “The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.”

sun's noun US /sʌnz/

possessive form of “sun” — the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading “The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.”

waters noun US /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading “He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

Benny's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

BristolnounUS /ˈbrɪstəl/

an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

curedadjectiveUS /kjʊrd/

freed from illness or injury

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

drinkingnounUS /ˈdrɪŋkɪŋ/

the act of consuming liquids

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

girlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

he's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

hisself

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

im

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

larst

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

mostlyadverbUS /ˈmoʊstli/

in large part; mainly or chiefly

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

sun'snounUS /sʌnz/

possessive form of “sun” — the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

sureadjectiveUS /ʃʊr/

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

watersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well no, it ain't nothing to me, to be sure, though I must say as Benny's one after my own heart.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The girls he do know, and mostly after 'em when the sun's gone down.

Wiltshire

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

Wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

wus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He wus took right bad down in Wiltshire larst time I heard of 'im, but perhaps he's cured hisself drinking of the waters.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You seem to be angry about it, my boy."

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Would it be the young lady at Bristol this time, or another?

Chapter 2 of The Man Who Drove the Car by Max Pemberton holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Man Who Drove the Car contain?

Chapter 2 holds 440 sentences of The Man Who Drove the Car, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Man Who Drove the Car by Max Pemberton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Man Who Drove the Car?

Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 88 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Man Who Drove the Car

Common questions about reading The Man Who Drove the Car by Max Pemberton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Man Who Drove the Car?

Yes. All 1753 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Man Who Drove the Car is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Man Who Drove the Car take to read?

About 146 minutes of reading across 351 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Man Who Drove the Car section by section

How to work through The Man Who Drove the Car section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Man Who Drove the Car to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Man Who Drove the Car

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Drove the Car, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pirate
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Drove the Car; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Every
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Drove the Car; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Master
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Drove the Car; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Prefer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Man Who Drove the Car; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.