Chapter 29 of The Rat Race is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Rat Race is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me. "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced. "Some of them have been here since before lunch. Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?" "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
Chapter 29 of The Rat Race is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “"There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.”
any cone-shaped artifact
From this reading “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
take the midday meal
From this reading “"Some of them have been here since before lunch.”
get something; come into possession of
From this reading “Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"”
a secretary whose main duty is to answer the telephone and receive visitors
From this reading “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
the day after today
From this reading “Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"”
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 “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
In this reading “"No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.”
In this reading “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
In this reading “The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.”
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 "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
any cone-shaped artifact
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
take the midday meal
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
get something; come into possession of
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
a secretary whose main duty is to answer the telephone and receive visitors
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "No, I'll see them in a few minutes," I replied.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Some of them have been here since before lunch.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
the day after today
From this reading Do you plan to receive them or shall I ask them to return tomorrow?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The highly respectable receptionist at the office of Tompkins, Wasson & Cone almost smiled at me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "There are several gentlemen waiting for you, Mr. Tompkins," she announced.
Chapter 29 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin holds 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 29 holds 269 sentences of The Rat Race, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 29 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.
