Chapter 2 of Master of Life and Death is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Master of Life and Death is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir." "Put him on." The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness. "What is it, Doctor?" "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
Chapter 2 of Master of Life and Death is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 trait of exhibiting no personal embarrassment or concern
From this reading “The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."”
past form of “chime” — emit a sound
From this reading “The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"What is it, Doctor?"”
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading “"It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.”
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading “The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.”
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading “The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.”
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.
In this reading “"It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!”
In this reading “The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.”
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 "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
an indicator that announces which electrical circuit has been active (as on a telephone switchboard)
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
the trait of exhibiting no personal embarrassment or concern
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
past form of “chime” — emit a sound
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "What is it, Doctor?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Put him on."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it, Doctor?"
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it, Doctor?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
provided with artificial light
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Put him on."
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Put him on."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
term of address for a man
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
the physical condition of being stretched or strained
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
a special situation
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it, Doctor?"
at the time that
From this reading "It's a good thing you issued that order when you did, sir!
appearing extremely agitated
From this reading The screen lit and Falbrough's face appeared; its normal blandness had given way to wild-eyed tenseness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The annunciator chimed and said, "Dr. Falbrough of Happysleep calling you, sir."
Chapter 2 of Master of Life and Death by Robert Silverberg holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Master of Life and Death, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Master of Life and Death by Robert Silverberg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Master of Life and Death by Robert Silverberg on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4118 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50441 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50441, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 343 minutes of reading across 824 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Master of Life and Death section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Master of Life and Death 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 Master of Life and Death, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
