Chapter 2 of The Underdogs is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Underdogs is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead. If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar! Now: look at him!" "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle. Come along, one shot, just one!"
Chapter 2 of The Underdogs is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “"Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.”
the boundary of a surface
From this reading “"I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!”
a boy or man
From this reading “"I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.”
bestow a quality on
From this reading “"Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.”
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading “If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!”
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading “"Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.”
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading “"I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.”
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 "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Come along, one shot, just one!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Now: look at him!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
the boundary of a surface
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now: look at him!"
cause to move by striking
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
and nothing more
From this reading Come along, one shot, just one!"
a boy or man
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
bestow a quality on
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Now: look at him!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now: look at him!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Come along, one shot, just one!"
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Come along, one shot, just one!"
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll give that lad on the trail's edge a shower of lead.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you don't hit the river, I'm a liar!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, come on, Anastasio don't be cruel; lend me your rifle.
Chapter 2 of The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 233 sentences of The Underdogs, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Underdogs by Mariano Azuela on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3037 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #549 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #549, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 608 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Underdogs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Underdogs 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 Underdogs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
