Chapter 2 of Whistler Stories is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Whistler Stories is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.' I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!" * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum. "Me?" said Whistler. "Who else has such cause to mourn?
Chapter 2 of Whistler Stories is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art
From this reading “* * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.”
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “* * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.”
moody and melancholic
From this reading “* * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.”
possessive form of “l” — a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading “"McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'”
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading “I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"”
feel sadness
From this reading “"Who else has such cause to mourn?”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “* * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.”
United States painter (1834-1903)
From this reading “* * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.”
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 * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
the two together, not just one
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
moody and melancholic
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
possessive form of “l” — a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Me?" said Whistler.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
feel sadness
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Me?" said Whistler.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
male cat
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
the act of using
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "McNeill, by the way, should have two l's.'
(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 I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
at the time that
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
United States painter (1834-1903)
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
which person or people
From this reading "Who else has such cause to mourn?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading * * * * * When Tom Taylor, the critic, died, a friend asked Whistler why he looked so glum.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I use them both, and in the midst of things cannot well do without them!"
Chapter 2 of Whistler Stories by Don Carlos [Compiler] Seitz holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 388 sentences of Whistler Stories, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Whistler Stories by Don Carlos [Compiler] Seitz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Whistler Stories by Don Carlos [Compiler] Seitz on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1201 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13973 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13973, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 100 minutes of reading across 241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whistler Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Whistler Stories 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 Whistler Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
