Chapter 2 of Test Pilot is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Test Pilot is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I was a little worried about my ears. I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude. I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves. I might break an eardrum. I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
Chapter 2 of Test Pilot is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
From this reading “I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.”
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading “I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.”
under normal conditions
From this reading “I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.”
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading “I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.”
place limits on (extent or amount or access)
From this reading “I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading “I was a little worried about my ears.”
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.
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 I was a little worried about my ears.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
From this reading I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I might break an eardrum.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
exhale hard
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
terminate
From this reading I might break an eardrum.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound
From this reading I might break an eardrum.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
and nothing more
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I might break an eardrum.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
under normal conditions
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
above and across; more than
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
transport commercially
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
caught or fixed
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.
place limits on (extent or amount or access)
From this reading I eased the throttle back, rolled the ship over in a half roll, and stuck her down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
at the time that
From this reading I had always had to blow my ears out when just normally losing altitude.
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading I was a little worried about my ears.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had funny ears like that that wouldn’t adjust themselves.
Chapter 2 of Test Pilot by James Collins holds 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 453 sentences of Test Pilot, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Test Pilot by James Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Test Pilot by James Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2733 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34589 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34589, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 227 minutes of reading across 547 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Test Pilot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Test Pilot 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 Test Pilot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
