Chapter 2 of Vignettes of Manhattan is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Vignettes of Manhattan is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again. "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait. "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered. "I see what you mean," the old lady responded. "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
Chapter 2 of Vignettes of Manhattan is here in full — 434 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.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “"Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.”
discontinued temporarily
From this reading “She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.”
similarity in appearance or character or nature between persons or things
From this reading “"Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “"Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.”
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “"Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “"I see what you mean," the old lady responded.”
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.
your own wife
In this reading “"I see what you mean," the old lady responded.”
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 "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
anew
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
immediately past
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
similarity in appearance or character or nature between persons or things
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
no person; not anyone
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
express in speech
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
not in physical motion
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She interrupted herself, and gazed at the picture again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
a Caucasian
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Is it a good likeness?" she asked at last, with her eyes still fixed on the portrait.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's so like him that I wouldn't speak to it," White answered.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, if the man really looks like that, nobody would want to speak to him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I see what you mean," the old lady responded.
Chapter 2 of Vignettes of Manhattan by Brander Matthews holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of Vignettes of Manhattan, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Vignettes of Manhattan by Brander Matthews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 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 Vignettes of Manhattan by Brander Matthews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4670 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38918 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38918, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 389 minutes of reading across 934 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vignettes of Manhattan section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Vignettes of Manhattan 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 Vignettes of Manhattan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
