Chapter 2 of Naudsonce is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Naudsonce is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Luis, you imbecile!" Meillard was shouting. Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air. "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good. It did.
Chapter 2 of Naudsonce is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.”
having lost your job
From this reading “Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “"Luis, you imbecile!"”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.”
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading “Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.”
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading “Meillard was shouting.”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It did.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
having lost your job
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading "Luis, you imbecile!"
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It did.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Luis, you imbecile!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meillard was shouting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading Meillard was shouting.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
two times
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Meillard was shouting.
in or at the place that
From this reading Gofredo jumped onto the top of an airjeep, where they could all see him; drawing his pistol, he fired twice into the air.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Be quiet, all of you!" he shouted, as though that would do any good.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Luis, you imbecile!"
Chapter 2 of Naudsonce by H. Beam Piper holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of Naudsonce, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Naudsonce by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Naudsonce by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1296 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19076 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19076, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 108 minutes of reading across 260 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Naudsonce section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Naudsonce 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 Naudsonce, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
