Chapter 2 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We parted with mutual expressions of good will. I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help." "I expect you to," he said earnestly. "I want you to. Myself and my establishment are at your service.
Chapter 2 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
in a serious manner
From this reading “"I expect you to," he said earnestly.”
the act of forming or establishing something
From this reading “Myself and my establishment are at your service.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."”
plural of “expression” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “We parted with mutual expressions of good will.”
common to or shared by two or more parties
From this reading “We parted with mutual expressions of good will.”
many times at short intervals
From this reading “I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."”
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading “We parted with mutual expressions of good will.”
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading “Myself and my establishment are at your service.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
in a serious manner
From this reading "I expect you to," he said earnestly.
the act of forming or establishing something
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
plural of “expression” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I expect you to," he said earnestly.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
common to or shared by two or more parties
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
many times at short intervals
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I want you to.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We parted with mutual expressions of good will.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I said, "I expect I shall have to come often to you for help."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Myself and my establishment are at your service.
Chapter 2 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story by Hulbert Footner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6984 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57236 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57236, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 582 minutes of reading across 1397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story 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 Thieves' Wit: An Everyday Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
