Chapter 2 of A Place so Foreign is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Place so Foreign is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You just wanted to think?" "I guess so." Why wouldn't he just leave me alone? "It's hard to come home, isn't it?" I stared at my shoes.
Chapter 2 of A Place so Foreign is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"I guess so."”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “"It's hard to come home, isn't it?"”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “"It's hard to come home, isn't it?"”
go away from a place
From this reading “Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?”
a particular situation
From this reading “I stared at my shoes.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “I stared at my shoes.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “"You just wanted to think?"”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I stared at my shoes.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "It's hard to come home, isn't it?"
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "I guess so."
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "It's hard to come home, isn't it?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "It's hard to come home, isn't it?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I guess so."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's hard to come home, isn't it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It's hard to come home, isn't it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's hard to come home, isn't it?"
and nothing more
From this reading "You just wanted to think?"
go away from a place
From this reading Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I stared at my shoes.
a particular situation
From this reading I stared at my shoes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I guess so."
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading I stared at my shoes.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You just wanted to think?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You just wanted to think?"
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "You just wanted to think?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You just wanted to think?"
Chapter 2 of A Place so Foreign by Cory Doctorow holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of A Place so Foreign, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Place so Foreign by Cory Doctorow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 A Place so Foreign by Cory Doctorow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1666 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16721 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16721, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 138 minutes of reading across 334 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Place so Foreign section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of A Place so Foreign 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 A Place so Foreign, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
