Chapter 2 of Sight Unseen is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Sight Unseen is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Please be sure you are holding my hands tight. Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy. Her voice sounded faint and far away. Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair. Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
Chapter 2 of Sight Unseen is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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 part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.”
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.”
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “Her voice sounded faint and far away.”
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading “Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.”
inflected form of “sag” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “Her voice sounded faint and far away.”
United States engineer and inventor of the gyrocompass (1860-1930)
From this reading “Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.”
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading ““Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
lacking funds
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy.
the act of retaining something
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
inflected form of “sag” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
United States engineer and inventor of the gyrocompass (1860-1930)
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Sperry broke the circle and coming to her, took her pulse.
precisely as stated
From this reading Hold them very tight,” said Miss Jeremy.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her voice sounded faint and far away.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her head was dropped forward on her chest, and she suddenly sagged in her chair.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Please be sure you are holding my hands tight.
Chapter 2 of Sight Unseen by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 243 sentences, grouped into 49 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 243 sentences of Sight Unseen, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Sight Unseen by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Sight Unseen by Mary Roberts Rinehart on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2646 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1960, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 220 minutes of reading across 530 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sight Unseen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Sight Unseen 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 Sight Unseen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
