Chapter 2 of Hanging by a Thread is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Hanging by a Thread is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jayjay pushed Smith aside. "Let me take a look." Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him. He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection. "Hm-m-m."
Chapter 2 of Hanging by a Thread is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side
From this reading “He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.”
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading “He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.”
disregarded
From this reading “Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.”
a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading “Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.”
past form of “resent” — feel bitter or indignant about
From this reading “Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.”
-ing form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading “Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “Jayjay pushed Smith aside.”
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 into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.”
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 "Let me take a look."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
on or to one side
From this reading Jayjay pushed Smith aside.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
past form of “cock” — tilt or slant to one side
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hm-m-m."
disregarded
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jayjay pushed Smith aside.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let me take a look."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Let me take a look."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let me take a look."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading Jayjay pushed Smith aside.
past form of “resent” — feel bitter or indignant about
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
-ing form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading Jayjay pushed Smith aside.
carry out
From this reading "Let me take a look."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Smith frowned as though he resented an ordinary passenger shoving him around, but Jayjay ignored him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He cocked his head to one side and looked at the connection.
Chapter 2 of Hanging by a Thread by Randall Garrett holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Hanging by a Thread, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Hanging by a Thread by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Hanging by a Thread by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 837 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 69 minutes of reading across 168 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hanging by a Thread section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Hanging by a Thread 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 Hanging by a Thread, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
