Chapter 2 of Highwayman of the Void is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Highwayman of the Void is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nolan nodded. His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought. What was Woller up to? It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller. Absently, he found himself saying.
Chapter 2 of Highwayman of the Void is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
make denser, stronger, or purer
From this reading “It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.”
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading “His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.”
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Nolan nodded.”
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.”
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading “His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.”
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.
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 His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading Absently, he found himself saying.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
make denser, stronger, or purer
From this reading It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
set up or found
From this reading Absently, he found himself saying.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Absently, he found himself saying.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Absently, he found himself saying.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Nolan nodded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nolan nodded.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was curiously difficult to concentrate on Woller.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Absently, he found himself saying.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What was Woller up to?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading What was Woller up to?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was impassive, but a slight crinkling of the lines around his lean nose showed thought.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was Woller up to?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What was Woller up to?
Chapter 2 of Highwayman of the Void by Frederik Pohl holds 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 477 sentences of Highwayman of the Void, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Highwayman of the Void by Frederik Pohl exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Highwayman of the Void by Frederik Pohl on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 287 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Highwayman of the Void section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Highwayman of the Void 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 Highwayman of the Void, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
