Chapter 2 of The Sport of the Gods is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Sport of the Gods is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen." The employer half rose from his chair. His face was livid with anger. But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself. "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
Chapter 2 of The Sport of the Gods is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading “"You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.”
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading “The employer half rose from his chair.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “"Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “"Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."”
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading “His face was livid with anger.”
United States sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1860-1926)
From this reading “"Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."”
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading “But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.”
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 But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading His face was livid with anger.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
make calm or still
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The employer half rose from his chair.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading The employer half rose from his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was livid with anger.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The employer half rose from his chair.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The employer half rose from his chair.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The employer half rose from his chair.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading His face was livid with anger.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
United States sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1860-1926)
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The employer half rose from his chair.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading But at a sign from the detective he strove to calm himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "You had better let me talk to Berry, Mr. Oakley," said the officer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
in the company of; together with
From this reading His face was livid with anger.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, suh, Mistah Oakley," was the grinning reply, "ef you ain't de beatenes' man to fin' out things I evah seen."
Chapter 2 of The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of The Sport of the Gods, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2817 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 234 minutes of reading across 564 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sport of the Gods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Sport of the Gods 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 Sport of the Gods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
