Chapter 17 of The Rat Race is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Rat Race is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services. "May I speak to Mrs. Jacklin?" I asked the switch-board girl. She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you? A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
Chapter 17 of The Rat Race is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading “After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.”
a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt
From this reading “She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?”
with little or no delay
From this reading “She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?”
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading “She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?”
past form of “screw” — have sexual intercourse with
From this reading “After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.”
performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others
From this reading “After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.”
relating to or concerned with strategy
From this reading “After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.”
past form of “telephone” — get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone
From this reading “After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.”
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 “A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
later than; following
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked the switch-board girl.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
a young female
From this reading I asked the switch-board girl.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
a message received and understood
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "May I speak to Mrs. Jacklin?"
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
take the midday meal
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "May I speak to Mrs. Jacklin?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
a particular point in time
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "May I speak to Mrs. Jacklin?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
with little or no delay
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
past form of “screw” — have sexual intercourse with
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
express in speech
From this reading "May I speak to Mrs. Jacklin?"
relating to or concerned with strategy
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I asked the switch-board girl.
past form of “telephone” — get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "May I speak to Mrs. Jacklin?"
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading After lunch--which was poor, slow and expensive--I screwed up my courage and telephoned the Office of Strategic Services.
which person or people
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
an affirmative
From this reading A moment later a pleasant voice said, "Yes?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She promptly referred me to Information, who told me that Mrs. Dorothy Jacklin was on Extension 3046, shall-I-connect you?
Chapter 17 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 17 holds 233 sentences of The Rat Race, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 17 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.
