Chapter 28 of The Rat Race is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Rat Race is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What's the big idea?" I demanded. "I thought I was in the clear." Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed. "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
Chapter 28 of The Rat Race is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “"What's the big idea?"”
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “"Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.”
rid of obstructions
From this reading “"I thought I was in the clear."”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “I demanded.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “"What's the big idea?"”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.”
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 “Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.”
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.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "What's the big idea?"
an administrative unit of government
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
rid of obstructions
From this reading "I thought I was in the clear."
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading I demanded.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I demanded.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "What's the big idea?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I thought I was in the clear."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Harcourt looked somewhat embarrassed.
express in words
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What's the big idea?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought I was in the clear."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I thought I was in the clear."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the big idea?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this, Mr. Tompkins," he explained, "but like you said, you're in the clear with the Bureau.
Chapter 28 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 28 holds 164 sentences of The Rat Race, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 28 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.
