Chapter 2 of Captive of the Centaurianess is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Captive of the Centaurianess is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Vere is Ray Ballantyne?" "Get out! Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk. Her free hand covered the secret policeman. "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?" she repeated.
Chapter 2 of Captive of the Centaurianess is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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 piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.”
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading “Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.”
shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
From this reading “Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.”
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading “Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Her free hand covered the secret policeman.”
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading “"Vere is Ray Ballantyne?"”
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “"Get out!”
freedom to do as you see fit
In this reading “Her free hand covered the secret policeman.”
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading Her free hand covered the secret policeman.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Her free hand covered the secret policeman.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get out!
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Her free hand covered the secret policeman.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her free hand covered the secret policeman.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?"
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Get out!
a member of a police force
From this reading Her free hand covered the secret policeman.
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?"
recurring again and again
From this reading "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?" she repeated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Her free hand covered the secret policeman.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?" she repeated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Guards--" Dyann took one long leap across the office, seized Roshevsky-Feldkamp by the neck and hammered his forehead against the desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Vere is Ray Ballantyne?"
Chapter 2 of Captive of the Centaurianess by Poul Anderson holds 482 sentences, grouped into 97 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 482 sentences of Captive of the Centaurianess, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Captive of the Centaurianess by Poul Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 482 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 Captive of the Centaurianess by Poul Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1437 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64075 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64075, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captive of the Centaurianess section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Captive of the Centaurianess 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 Captive of the Centaurianess, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
