Chapter 2 of Null-ABC is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Null-ABC is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said. "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?" Cardon shook his head. Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk. "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
Chapter 2 of Null-ABC is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading “"Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.”
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading “Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.”
possessive form of “hamilton” — Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading “"Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “"Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.”
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading “Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “Cardon shook his head.”
a television broadcast
From this reading “"Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"”
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 Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
(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 "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading "Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cardon shook his head.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
possessive form of “hamilton” — Irish mathematician (1806-1865)
From this reading "Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Cardon shook his head.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading "Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
above and across; more than
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hamilton's campaign manager does," Lancedale said.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Cardon shook his head.
a television broadcast
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lancedale handed over a little half-inch, thirty-minute, record disk.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "All you need is the first three or four minutes," he said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you hear his telecast, this morning?"
Chapter 2 of Null-ABC by H. Beam Piper holds 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 470 sentences of Null-ABC, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Null-ABC by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 Null-ABC by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2350 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18346, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 195 minutes of reading across 470 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Null-ABC section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Null-ABC 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 Null-ABC, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
