Chapter 2 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Well, I shall not need to go away. Harry Goward has himself solved that problem. He goes himself to-morrow. He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama. But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
Chapter 2 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading “He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.”
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.”
past form of “invent” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading “He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.”
an extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization
From this reading “He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.”
explained or answered
From this reading “Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.”
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 He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
at any time
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading He goes himself to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He goes himself to-morrow.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
past form of “invent” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
roused to anger
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
an extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
explained or answered
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
not in physical motion
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Harry Goward has himself solved that problem.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Well, I shall not need to go away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He goes himself to-morrow.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
precisely as stated
From this reading He has invented a telegram about a sick uncle, all according to the very best melodrama.
(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, I shall not need to go away.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what I feared is true--he is still as mad as ever about me.
Chapter 2 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by William Dean Howells holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5066 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5066, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors 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 Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
