Chapter 2 of The Crystal Crypt is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Crystal Crypt is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants. No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign. The march continued as before. Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other. They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
Chapter 2 of The Crystal Crypt is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading “They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.”
according with custom or propriety
From this reading “They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.”
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading “They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.”
Hindu god of death; opposite of Kama
From this reading “Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.”
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading “Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.”
plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading “Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.”
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading “They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.”
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 They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
any thing at all
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The march continued as before.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The march continued as before.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
without stop or interruption
From this reading The march continued as before.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
Hindu god of death; opposite of Kama
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
march in a procession
From this reading The march continued as before.
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
not any; not one
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
being perceived or observed
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mara and Jan and Erick joined the line of people, melting in behind the merchants.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Neither Jan nor Mara said anything to each other.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading No one noticed them; no one looked up or gave any sign.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
which person or people
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They walked a little behind Erick, who paced with a certain dignity, a certain bearing becoming his position.
Chapter 2 of The Crystal Crypt by Philip K. Dick holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Crystal Crypt, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Crystal Crypt by Philip K. Dick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Crystal Crypt by Philip K. Dick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 865 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28698 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28698, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 72 minutes of reading across 173 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crystal Crypt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Crystal Crypt 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 Crystal Crypt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
