Chapter 2 of Vice Versa is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Vice Versa is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I can't help it," said Dick doggedly. "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine. I mean to have it, too." "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me? I tell you I will have that stone!
Chapter 2 of Vice Versa is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 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.
resist or confront with resistance
From this reading “"Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “"I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.”
with obstinate determination
From this reading “"I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I mean to have it, too."”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “"You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.”
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading “"Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “I tell you I will have that stone!”
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading “"Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy 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.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
resist or confront with resistance
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
someone who is a detective
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
with obstinate determination
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I mean to have it, too."
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I can't help it," said Dick doggedly.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading I tell you I will have that stone!
express in words
From this reading I tell you I will have that stone!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I tell you I will have that stone!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I mean to have it, too."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I mean to have it, too."
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I tell you I will have that stone!
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, you unnatural little rascal!" cried the justly-enraged father, "do you mean to defy me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You've had your wish, and I don't see why I shouldn't have mine.
Chapter 2 of Vice Versa by F. Anstey holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Vice Versa, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Vice Versa by F. Anstey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Vice Versa by F. Anstey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26853 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26853, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 962 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vice Versa section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Vice Versa 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 Vice Versa, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
