Homo Inferior

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Homo Inferior is here in full — 528 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mari Wolf • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

In a moment they would be aware of him.

He didn't want them to think he was spying on them, so he went toward them, making no effort to be quiet, and as he moved they stepped still farther apart and looked at him, startled.

They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

They know, Eric thought bitterly.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter II Reading 1/105

Homo Inferior

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of Homo Inferior is here in full — 528 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/105 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

/ðen ðeɪ tɜːrnd ˈsloʊli təˈwɔːrd hɪm/

Line 2

In a moment they would be aware of him.

/ɪn ə ˈmoʊmənt ðeɪ wʊd biː əˈwer ʌv hɪm/

Line 3

He didn't want them to think he was spying on them, so he went toward them, making no effort to be quiet, and as he moved they stepped still farther apart and looked at him, startled.

Line 4

They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

/ðeɪ lʊkt æt iːtʃ ˈʌðər æz hiː pæst ˈiːvɪn mɔːr ˈstɑːrtəld ənd ðə ɡɜːrlz hænd went ʌp tuː hɜːr maʊθ ɪn sərˈpraɪz/

Line 5

They know, Eric thought bitterly.

Learner Dictionary

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.

apart adverb US /əˈpɑːrt/

separated or at a distance in place or position or time

From this reading “He didn't want them to think he was spying on them, so he went toward them, making no effort to be quiet, and as he moved they stepped still farther apart and looked at him, startled.”

aware adjective US /əˈwer/

(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception

From this reading “In a moment they would be aware of him.”

bitterly adverb US /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading “They know, Eric thought bitterly.”

farther adjective US /ˈfɑːrðər/

more distant in especially space or time

girl's noun US /ɡɜːrlz/

possessive form of “girl” — a young female

From this reading “They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.”

spying noun US /ˈspaɪɪŋ/

keeping a secret or furtive watch

startled adjective US /ˈstɑːrtəld/

excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement

stepped verb US /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “He didn't want them to think he was spying on them, so he went toward them, making no effort to be quiet, and as he moved they stepped still farther apart and looked at him, startled.”

went up verb + adjective counted as “go up”

move upward

In this reading “They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.”

in surprise preposition + noun

In this reading “They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.”

went toward verb + particle counted as “go toward”

In a moment preposition + article + noun counted as “in … moment”

In this reading “In a moment they would be aware of him.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He didn't want them to think he was spying on them, so he went toward them, making no effort to be quiet, and as he moved they stepped still farther apart and looked at him, startled.

apartadverbUS /əˈpɑːrt/

separated or at a distance in place or position or time

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

awareadjectiveUS /əˈwer/

(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

bitterlyadverbUS /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading They know, Eric thought bitterly.

didn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

effortnounUS /ˈefərt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

Eric

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They know, Eric thought bitterly.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

fartheradjectiveUS /ˈfɑːrðər/

more distant in especially space or time

girl'snounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

possessive form of “girl” — a young female

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading They know, Eric thought bitterly.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

movedadjectiveUS /muːvd/

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

spyingnounUS /ˈspaɪɪŋ/

keeping a secret or furtive watch

startledadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtəld/

excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement

steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading They know, Eric thought bitterly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading Then they turned, slowly, toward him.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading They looked at each other as he passed, even more startled, and the girl's hand went up to her mouth in surprise.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading In a moment they would be aware of him.

Chapter 2 of Homo Inferior by Mari Wolf holds 528 sentences, grouped into 106 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.

What does chapter 2 of Homo Inferior contain?

Chapter 2 holds 528 sentences of Homo Inferior, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Homo Inferior by Mari Wolf exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 528 sentences, grouped into 106 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of Homo Inferior?

Work through the 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 106 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Homo Inferior

Common questions about reading Homo Inferior by Mari Wolf on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Homo Inferior?

Yes. All 1570 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Homo Inferior is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31692, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Homo Inferior take to read?

About 130 minutes of reading across 314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Homo Inferior

Words and structures a reader meets early in Homo Inferior, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Chapter II

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