Chapter 2 of Nightmare Planet is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Nightmare Planet is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them. But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention. Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them. Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line. The men looked at him supplicatingly.
Chapter 2 of Nightmare Planet is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
From this reading “Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.”
(of the elements) in a wild and stormy manner
From this reading “Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.”
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading “But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.”
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading “Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.”
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading “Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.”
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading “Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.”
plural of “spider” — predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading “Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.”
pulled or drawn tight
From this reading “Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.”
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.
a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature
In this reading “Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.”
In this reading “But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “The men looked at him supplicatingly.”
In this reading “But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.”
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 But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
anew
From this reading Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
(of the elements) in a wild and stormy manner
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The men looked at him supplicatingly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The men looked at him supplicatingly.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men looked at him supplicatingly.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
plural of “spider” — predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading Spiders did not hunt by scent, but sound sometimes drew them.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The men looked at him supplicatingly.
pulled or drawn tight
From this reading Burl closed his mouth again, in a taut straight line.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The men looked at him supplicatingly.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Burl opened his mouth to shout furiously at them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it was not a good idea for humans to draw attention.
Chapter 2 of Nightmare Planet by Murray Leinster holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of Nightmare Planet, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Nightmare Planet by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Nightmare Planet by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1303 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42987 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42987, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 108 minutes of reading across 261 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nightmare Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Nightmare Planet 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 Nightmare Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
