Chapter 2 of The Common Man 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 The Common Man is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You a red?" Crowley said, scowling. The doctor shrugged hopelessly. "No," he said. Crowley turned to the other two.
Chapter 2 of The Common Man 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.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “The doctor shrugged hopelessly.”
in a hopeless manner
From this reading “The doctor shrugged hopelessly.”
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading “"You a red?"”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Crowley said, scowling.”
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading “Crowley said, scowling.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “The doctor shrugged hopelessly.”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading “Crowley turned to the other two.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Crowley turned to the other two.”
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 "You a red?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Crowley said, scowling.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor shrugged hopelessly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No," he said.
in a hopeless manner
From this reading The doctor shrugged hopelessly.
not any; not one
From this reading "No," he said.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Crowley turned to the other two.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading "You a red?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Crowley said, scowling.
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading Crowley said, scowling.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading The doctor shrugged hopelessly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The doctor shrugged hopelessly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Crowley turned to the other two.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Crowley turned to the other two.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Crowley turned to the other two.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You a red?"
Chapter 2 of The Common Man by Mack Reynolds 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 The Common Man, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Common Man by Mack Reynolds 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 The Common Man by Mack Reynolds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1364 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23194 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23194, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 273 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Common Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Common Man 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 Common Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
