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The spokesman's secretary
The spokesman's secretary

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The spokesman's secretary is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The spokesman's secretary
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:
I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.
I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.
I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.
I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The spokesman's secretary

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The spokesman's secretary is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:
/ɪn wɪtʃ aɪ luːz maɪ ˈlʌvər dɪr mɑːm/
Line 2
I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.
/aɪ duː heɪt tuː raɪt sʌtʃ bæd nuːz bʌt juː meɪd miː ˈprɑːməs aɪ wʊd tel juː ˈevriθɪŋ soʊ hiːr ɪt ɪz/
Line 3
I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.
/aɪ hæv nɑːt ɡɑːt noʊ dʒɑːb təˈdeɪ ənd ðə wɜːrst ʌv ɪt ɪz aɪ æm ðə ˈoʊnli wʌn ðæt ɪz nɑːt/
Line 4
I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.
/aɪ went bæk tuː ðə ɪˈliːt ˈbjuːti ˈpɑːrlərz ðɪs ə em ˈθɪŋkɪŋ aɪ wɑːz tuː ɡoʊ ɑːn ˈliːdɪŋ ðə straɪk bʌt wʌt duː aɪ siː bʌt ˈevriwʌn ʌv ðem ɡɜːrlz kʌm ʌp wʌn baɪ wʌn ənd traɪ tuː sniːk ˈɪntuː ðə pleɪs/
Line 5
I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”
/aɪ sez wʌt ɑːr juː ˈduːɪŋ ɑːr juː ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː ˈdezərt jɔːr ˈjuːnjən ənd jɔːr klæs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

desert verb US /ˈdezərt/

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

From this reading “I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?””

Elite noun US /ɪˈliːt/

a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status

From this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

everyone pronoun US /ˈevriwʌn/

every person

From this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

mom noun US /mɑːm/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading “IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:”

Parlors noun US /ˈpɑːrlərz/

plural of “parlor” — reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

From this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

sneak verb US /sniːk/

to go stealthily or furtively

From this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

today noun US /təˈdeɪ/

the present time or age

From this reading “I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.”

union noun US /ˈjuːnjən/

an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer

From this reading “I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?””

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

bad news adjective + noun

In this reading “I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.”

went back verb + particle counted as “go back”

belong to an earlier time

In this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

sneak into verb + particle

In this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

go on verb + particle

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

In this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

come up verb + adjective

bring forth, usually something desirable

In this reading “I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

BeautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

classnounUS /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

desertverbUS /ˈdezərt/

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

doingverbUS /ˈduːɪŋ/

-ing form of “do” — engage in

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

ElitenounUS /ɪˈliːt/

a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

everyonepronounUS /ˈevriwʌn/

every person

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

girlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

hatenounUS /heɪt/

the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

jobnounUS /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

leadingadjectiveUS /ˈliːdɪŋ/

indicating the most important performer or role

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

LOSEverbUS /luːz/

fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

LOVERnounUS /ˈlʌvər/

a person who loves someone or is loved by someone

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

mnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

MOMnounUS /mɑːm/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

ParlorsnounUS /ˈpɑːrlərz/

plural of “parlor” — reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

sneakverbUS /sniːk/

to go stealthily or furtively

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

strikeverbUS /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

thinkingnounUS /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

todaynounUS /təˈdeɪ/

the present time or age

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

tryverbUS /traɪ/

make an effort or attempt

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

unionnounUS /ˈjuːnjən/

an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I went back to the Elite Beauty Parlors this a. m. thinking I was to go on leading the strike but what do I see but everyone of them girls come up one by one and try to sneak into the place.

WHICHpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading IN WHICH I LOSE MY LOVER DEAR MOM:

worstnounUS /wɜːrst/

the least favorable outcome

From this reading I have not got no job today and the worst of it is I am the only one that is not.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

writeverbUS /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I do hate to write such bad news but you made me promise I would tell you everything so here it is.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I says, “What are you doing are you going to desert your union and your class?”

Chapter 15 of The spokesman's secretary by Upton Sinclair holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

What does chapter 15 of The spokesman's secretary contain?

Chapter 15 holds 87 sentences of The spokesman's secretary, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The spokesman's secretary by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of The spokesman's secretary?

Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 18 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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The spokesman's secretary

Common questions about reading The spokesman's secretary by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The spokesman's secretary?

Yes. All 1476 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71030 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #71030, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The spokesman's secretary take to read?

About 123 minutes of reading across 296 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The spokesman's secretary

Words and structures a reader meets early in The spokesman's secretary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Being
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Complaining
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Enough
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.