Chapter 2 of The Voice on the Wire is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Voice on the Wire is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend! I don't know what to do now. The newspapers will get this surely. I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.” Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
Chapter 2 of The Voice on the Wire is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
past form of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading “I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.””
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading “I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.””
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.”
a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
From this reading ““Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “The newspapers will get this surely.”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.”
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.”
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading “Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.”
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 “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
past form of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The newspapers will get this surely.
a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading The newspapers will get this surely.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I depended on Cronin: he must have been drinking.”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Shirley shook his head, as he explained, “I know Cronin's reputation, for I was a police reporter.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The newspapers will get this surely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The newspapers will get this surely.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The newspapers will get this surely.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
(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, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don't know what to do now.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The newspapers will get this surely.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, Mr. Shirley, your coming here was a Godsend!
Chapter 2 of The Voice on the Wire by Eustace Hale Ball holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 221 sentences of The Voice on the Wire, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Voice on the Wire by Eustace Hale Ball exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Voice on the Wire by Eustace Hale Ball on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5672 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5672, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Voice on the Wire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Voice on the Wire 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 Voice on the Wire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
