Chapter 2 of Deathworld is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Deathworld is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere. Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!" Jason broke in. "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here? That's preposterous."
Chapter 2 of Deathworld is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading “Jason broke in.”
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “"You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?”
of or relating to or resembling the physical or orbital characteristics of a planet or the planets
From this reading “"There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.”
a useful or valuable quality
From this reading “Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"”
so unreasonable as to invite derision
From this reading “That's preposterous."”
equipment designed to serve a specific function
From this reading “"There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.”
a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances
From this reading “Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
lacking funds
From this reading Jason broke in.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jason broke in.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading Jason broke in.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
used to form the superlative
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
and nothing more
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading "You mean Earth--or a planet like Cassylia here?
of or relating to or resembling the physical or orbital characteristics of a planet or the planets
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
a full supply
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
a useful or valuable quality
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
spoil as if by poison
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
so unreasonable as to invite derision
From this reading That's preposterous."
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
equipment designed to serve a specific function
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's preposterous."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is only one setup that is pure poison as a planetary atmosphere.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
of worldwide scope or applicability
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Plenty of H{2}O, the most universal solvent you can find, plus free oxygen to work on--" "Water and oxygen!"
Chapter 2 of Deathworld by Harry Harrison holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of Deathworld, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Deathworld by Harry Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Deathworld by Harry Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4957 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28346, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 992 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Deathworld section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Deathworld 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 Deathworld, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
