Chapter 15 of The Rat Race is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Rat Race is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink. You always think better if you have a glass in your hand." "Now, what is it you want to know?" I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire. "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
Chapter 15 of The Rat Race is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading “I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.”
take in liquids
From this reading “"If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “"It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.”
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading “I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.”
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading “You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “"It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.”
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading “I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.”
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.
In this reading “I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.”
at or in the front
In this reading “I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.”
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 "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
later than; following
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
take in liquids
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
start firing a weapon
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
the act of departing
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Now, what is it you want to know?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Now, what is it you want to know?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
and nothing more
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Now, what is it you want to know?"
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, what is it you want to know?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It's--it's just that everything is so queer," Germaine began.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Now, what is it you want to know?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If it's going to be long," she said, "we'd both better have a drink.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I answered, after we were comfortably settled in front of the electric fire.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Now, what is it you want to know?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You always think better if you have a glass in your hand."
Chapter 15 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin holds 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 15 holds 214 sentences of The Rat Race, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 15 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 Rat Race by Jay Franklin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6721 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 560 minutes of reading across 1345 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rat Race section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Rat Race 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 Rat Race, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
