Chapter 2 of The Alien is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Alien is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is. I've seen some of those antiquarians before. We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him. Who's the next best man?" "Probably Phyfe himself."
Chapter 2 of The Alien is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 supreme effort one can make
From this reading “Who's the next best man?"”
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “"I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.”
plural of “copy” — a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading “We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Who's the next best man?"”
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading “"Probably Phyfe himself."”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I've seen some of those antiquarians before.”
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading “"I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.”
transfer to another
From this reading “We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.”
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 “We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Who's the next best man?"
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
plural of “copy” — a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Probably Phyfe himself."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Who's the next best man?"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Who's the next best man?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "Probably Phyfe himself."
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Who's the next best man?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading I've seen some of those antiquarians before.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
transfer to another
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll get Phyfe to transmit some copies of this to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who's the next best man?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'll bet he will tackle this, if it's as new as you think it is.
Chapter 2 of The Alien by Raymond F. Jones holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of The Alien, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Alien by Raymond F. Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 The Alien by Raymond F. Jones on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4135 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50783 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50783, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Alien section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Alien 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 The Alien, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
