Chapter 2 of Bear Trap is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Bear Trap is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hart's mouth twisted. "Sabotage. They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year. Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing. They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
Chapter 2 of Bear Trap is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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.
ruined by overcooking
From this reading “Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.”
an expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines)
From this reading “Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.”
possessive form of “hart” — United States playwright who collaborated with George S. Kaufman (1904-1961)
From this reading “Hart's mouth twisted.”
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.”
involved in a kind of operation
From this reading “They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.”
communicate vividly
From this reading “They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.”
in the act of committing a crime or other reprehensible act
From this reading “Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.”
a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged
From this reading “"Sabotage.”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.”
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 They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
ruined by overcooking
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
an expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines)
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
possessive form of “hart” — United States playwright who collaborated with George S. Kaufman (1904-1961)
From this reading Hart's mouth twisted.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Hart's mouth twisted.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
involved in a kind of operation
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
above and across; more than
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
communicate vividly
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
in the act of committing a crime or other reprehensible act
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
precisely, exactly
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged
From this reading "Sabotage.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading Hart's mouth twisted.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading They'll have to move in new machines now before they can go on--set the Project back another week, and that could lose the war for us right there.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading Caught them red-handed, but not before they burnt out half a calculator wing.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading They picked up a whole ring that's been operating for over a year.
Chapter 2 of Bear Trap by Alan Edward Nourse holds 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 526 sentences of Bear Trap, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Bear Trap by Alan Edward Nourse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 106 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 Bear Trap by Alan Edward Nourse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1560 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31094 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31094, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 130 minutes of reading across 312 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bear Trap section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Bear Trap 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 Bear Trap, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
