Chapter 2 of The Citadel of Death is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Citadel of Death is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn. Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns. With one burst--! But the guns were empty. Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.
Chapter 2 of The Citadel of Death is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading “He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.”
-ing form of “curse” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.”
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading “He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.”
possessive form of “norman” — United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)
From this reading “Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.”
plural of “patrolman” — a policeman who patrols a given region
From this reading “He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.”
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading “Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.”
plural of “trigger” — lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun
From this reading “Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading With one burst--!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the guns were empty.
-ing form of “curse” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading But the guns were empty.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
possessive form of “norman” — United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading With one burst--!
plural of “patrolman” — a policeman who patrols a given region
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
plural of “trigger” — lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun
From this reading Norman's fingers itched for the triggers of his starboard guns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But the guns were empty.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He and his patrolmen strode through the muddy ashes with their guns drawn.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Cursing the Venusian woman, he reached for his pistol.
Chapter 2 of The Citadel of Death by Carl Selwyn holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of The Citadel of Death, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Citadel of Death by Carl Selwyn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Citadel of Death by Carl Selwyn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63213 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63213, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Citadel of Death section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Citadel of Death 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 Citadel of Death, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
