Chapter 2 of I, the Unspeakable is here in full — 579 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of I, the Unspeakable is here in full — 579 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day. These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off. They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four. Maybe that was why they were in Center One. Maybe I never would wear them down.
Chapter 2 of I, the Unspeakable is here in full — 579 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/115 · 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.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading “These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.”
plural of “corridor” — an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.”
plural of “expert” — a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
From this reading “These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.”
plural of “official” — a worker who holds or is invested with an office
From this reading “They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.”
past form of “review” — look at again; examine again
From this reading “I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.”
be dressed in
From this reading “Maybe I never would wear them down.”
plural of “worker” — a person who works at a specific occupation
From this reading “These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.”
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.
belong to an earlier time
In this reading “I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.”
In this reading “They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.”
In this reading “I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.”
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 I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
plural of “corridor” — an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Maybe I never would wear them down.
plural of “expert” — a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
set up or found
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
by chance
From this reading Maybe that was why they were in Center One.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Maybe I never would wear them down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
plural of “official” — a worker who holds or is invested with an office
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
past form of “review” — look at again; examine again
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Maybe that was why they were in Center One.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Maybe I never would wear them down.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were much more skilful than the officials in Center Four.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Maybe that was why they were in Center One.
be dressed in
From this reading Maybe I never would wear them down.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
a Caucasian
From this reading I went back into the dim white corridors and found a foodmat, got some nutro-pills and reviewed the day.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Maybe that was why they were in Center One.
plural of “worker” — a person who works at a specific occupation
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Maybe I never would wear them down.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading These workers here in Center One were experts at putting you off.
Chapter 2 of I, the Unspeakable by Walter J. Sheldon holds 579 sentences, grouped into 116 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 579 sentences of I, the Unspeakable, unabridged, divided into 116 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of I, the Unspeakable by Walter J. Sheldon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 579 sentences, grouped into 116 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 116 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 116 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 I, the Unspeakable by Walter J. Sheldon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1161 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51210 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51210, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 96 minutes of reading across 233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through I, the Unspeakable section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of I, the Unspeakable 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 I, the Unspeakable, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
