Chapter 2 of Needler is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Needler is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent. When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?" "Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said. "You will, anyway. But I don't guarantee any answers."
Chapter 2 of Needler is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “But I don't guarantee any answers."”
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"You will, anyway.”
give surety or assume responsibility
From this reading “But I don't guarantee any answers."”
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease
From this reading “When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"”
possessive form of “heart” — the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading “"Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said.”
having great influence
From this reading “Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.”
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"”
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 “"Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said.”
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 When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading But I don't guarantee any answers."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But I don't guarantee any answers."
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "You will, anyway.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I don't guarantee any answers."
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading "Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I don't guarantee any answers."
give surety or assume responsibility
From this reading But I don't guarantee any answers."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
possessive form of “heart” — the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
having great influence
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Roysland said he didn't, and Osteban ordered something more potent.
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
at the time that
From this reading When the waiter brought it, he took a healthy swallow and then said: "Mind if I ask a question?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will, anyway.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will, anyway.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ask to your heart's content," Roysland said.
Chapter 2 of Needler by Randall Garrett holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of Needler, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Needler by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Needler by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Needler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Needler 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 Needler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
