Chapter 2 of The Sign of the Stranger is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Sign of the Stranger is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Police!" he cried. "They're useless. We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow. If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good. But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
Chapter 2 of The Sign of the Stranger is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “bungler” — someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence
From this reading “We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."”
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading “But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."”
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading “But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."”
plural of “method” — a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading “But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."”
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading “But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."”
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading “If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.”
a moving crowd
From this reading “We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.”
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.
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 We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
plural of “bungler” — someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Police!" he cried.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Police!" he cried.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
the force of workers available
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
plural of “method” — a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
above and across; more than
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading "Police!" he cried.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
a moving crowd
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They're useless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But the plain-clothes men of the local constabulary haven't sufficient practice in serious crime to pursue any clever methods of investigation."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading "They're useless.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shall have a swarm of thick-headed bunglers over here to-morrow.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading If they sent one smart man down from Scotland Yard they might do some good.
Chapter 2 of The Sign of the Stranger by William Le Queux holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Sign of the Stranger, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Sign of the Stranger by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Sign of the Stranger by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 899 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sign of the Stranger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Sign of the Stranger 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 Sign of the Stranger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
