Chapter 2 of The Vanishing of Betty Varian is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Vanishing of Betty Varian is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!” “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that! Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me! You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want. It’s always been like that!
Chapter 2 of The Vanishing of Betty Varian is here in full — 280 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!””
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!””
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!””
being in opposition or having an opponent
From this reading “You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.”
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
From this reading “You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.”
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 “Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!””
In this reading “Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with 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.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!”
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading It’s always been like that!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
for the reason that
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It’s always been like that!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s always been like that!
and nothing more
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It’s always been like that!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
being in opposition or having an opponent
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
express in words
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Oh, come now, Betty, not as bad as that!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading You seem to be opposed on principle to everything I suggest or want.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Just because I don’t agree to everything you say——” “But you _never_ agree with me!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Betty Varian “Dad, you’re absolutely impossible!”
Chapter 2 of The Vanishing of Betty Varian by Carolyn Wells holds 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 280 sentences of The Vanishing of Betty Varian, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Vanishing of Betty Varian by Carolyn Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 280 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Vanishing of Betty Varian by Carolyn Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4716 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45912 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45912, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 393 minutes of reading across 944 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vanishing of Betty Varian section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Vanishing of Betty Varian 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 Vanishing of Betty Varian, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
