Chapter 2 of The Plunderer is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Plunderer is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man. "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et. Tougher'n hell it was." "_Mister_ Perkins, _sir_! I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
Chapter 2 of The Plunderer is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
cattle that are reared for their meat
From this reading “"I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.”
used as expletives
From this reading “"The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.”
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading “"The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.”
a form of address for a man
past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison
From this reading “"I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.”
vulgar or irreverent speech or action
From this reading “I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.”
resist doing something
From this reading “I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “"The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.”
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 "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
cattle that are reared for their meat
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
used as expletives
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading Tougher'n hell it was."
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Tougher'n hell it was."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "_Mister_ Perkins, _sir_!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Mister_ Perkins, _sir_!
past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
vulgar or irreverent speech or action
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
resist doing something
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
term of address for a man
From this reading "_Mister_ Perkins, _sir_!
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tougher'n hell it was."
the act of using
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tougher'n hell it was."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The grub's so damn bad at that Flora Hotel," snapped a weazened old man.
but in spite of that
From this reading "I'm poisoned yet by some of that beef I et.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I must ask you to refrain from the use of profanity.
Chapter 2 of The Plunderer by Henry Oyen holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of The Plunderer, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Plunderer by Henry Oyen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Plunderer by Henry Oyen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Plunderer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Plunderer 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 Plunderer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
