Chapter 2 of Vandover and the Brute is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Vandover and the Brute is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
About five o'clock his father came home from his office. "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day? Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more. I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere." "All right, governor," answered Vandover.
Chapter 2 of Vandover and the Brute is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.”
to or in any or all places
From this reading “I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."”
plural of “flea” — any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
From this reading “I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."”
the head of a state government
From this reading “"All right, governor," answered Vandover.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “"Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?”
according to the clock
From this reading “About five o'clock his father came home from his office.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “About five o'clock his father came home from his office.”
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 "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
(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 "All right, governor," answered Vandover.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "All right, governor," answered Vandover.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
to or in any or all places
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
plural of “flea” — any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
the act of departing
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
the head of a state government
From this reading "All right, governor," answered Vandover.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
according to the clock
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading About five o'clock his father came home from his office.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "All right, governor," answered Vandover.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
a male human offspring
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All right, governor," answered Vandover.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, I thought you weren't going to bring that dog into the house any more.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish you wouldn't, son; he gets hair and fleas about everywhere."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Hello!" said he, looking into the room; "aren't you home a little early to-day?
Chapter 2 of Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of Vandover and the Brute, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Vandover and the Brute by Frank Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5251 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14712 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14712, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vandover and the Brute section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Vandover and the Brute 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 Vandover and the Brute, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
