Chapter 2 of Design for Doomsday is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Design for Doomsday is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays. The entire corridor was a carnal room. A streak of flame seared his chest. He cried out, "No time for prayers now. Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
Chapter 2 of Design for Doomsday is here in full — 462 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
marked by the appetites and passions of the body
From this reading “The entire corridor was a carnal room.”
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.”
-ing form of “gyrate” — to wind or move in a spiral course
From this reading “Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.”
having the surface burned quickly with intense heat
From this reading “A streak of flame seared his chest.”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.”
an unbroken series of events
From this reading “A streak of flame seared his chest.”
a reference point to shoot at
From this reading “Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.”
-ing form of “thirst” — feel the need to drink
From this reading “Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.”
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.
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “He cried out, "No time for prayers now.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.”
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 Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
marked by the appetites and passions of the body
From this reading The entire corridor was a carnal room.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading A streak of flame seared his chest.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading The entire corridor was a carnal room.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading The entire corridor was a carnal room.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading A streak of flame seared his chest.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
-ing form of “gyrate” — to wind or move in a spiral course
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A streak of flame seared his chest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
not any; not one
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A streak of flame seared his chest.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
plural of “prayer” — the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The entire corridor was a carnal room.
having the surface burned quickly with intense heat
From this reading A streak of flame seared his chest.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
an unbroken series of events
From this reading A streak of flame seared his chest.
a reference point to shoot at
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The entire corridor was a carnal room.
-ing form of “thirst” — feel the need to drink
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He cried out, "No time for prayers now.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Go on down to hell, Kewpie Doll.
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Venard twisted, a slim and gyrating target for thirsting rays.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The entire corridor was a carnal room.
Chapter 2 of Design for Doomsday by Bryce Walton holds 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 462 sentences of Design for Doomsday, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Design for Doomsday by Bryce Walton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 462 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Design for Doomsday by Bryce Walton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Design for Doomsday section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Design for Doomsday 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 Design for Doomsday, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
