Chapter 2 of The Night Operator is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Night Operator is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Clear the line, Bob," he said. "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew." Toddles? What did Toddles have to do with this? Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
Chapter 2 of The Night Operator is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Clear the line, Bob," he said.”
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading “"Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."”
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “Well, a good deal, in one way and another.”
fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
From this reading “"Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."”
workplace consisting of a circular building for repairing locomotives
From this reading “"Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."”
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “"Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."”
a residential part of town away from the central commercial district
From this reading “"Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."”
someone who demolishes or dismantles buildings as a job
From this reading “"Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Clear the line, Bob," he said.
rid of obstructions
From this reading "Clear the line, Bob," he said.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading What did Toddles have to do with this?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What did Toddles have to do with this?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What did Toddles have to do with this?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Clear the line, Bob," he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading "Clear the line, Bob," he said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
workplace consisting of a circular building for repairing locomotives
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Clear the line, Bob," he said.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
express in words
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Clear the line, Bob," he said.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What did Toddles have to do with this?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Toddles?
a residential part of town away from the central commercial district
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Well, a good deal, in one way and another.
(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, a good deal, in one way and another.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What did Toddles have to do with this?
in the company of; together with
From this reading What did Toddles have to do with this?
someone who demolishes or dismantles buildings as a job
From this reading "Plug in the roundhouse for the wrecker--and tell them to send uptown for the crew."
Chapter 2 of The Night Operator by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Night Operator, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Night Operator by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Night Operator by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4815 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33634, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 963 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Night Operator section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Night Operator 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 Night Operator, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
