Chapter 2 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage. Hypno-training! What was that? Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third. He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
Chapter 2 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 concentration of attention or energy on something
From this reading “Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.”
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading “Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.”
plural of “landscape” — an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading “Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.”
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading “Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.”
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.”
filled with shade
From this reading “Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.”
plural of “temple” — place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading “He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.”
the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
From this reading “Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.”
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 Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
anew
From this reading He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
the concentration of attention or energy on something
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hypno-training!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
plural of “landscape” — an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
filled with shade
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
not in physical motion
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
plural of “temple” — place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading He shook his head again, his hands to his temples.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What was that?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What was that?
the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
From this reading Travis paused, staring unseeingly before him at the grass still waving from the coyote's passage.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was that?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Now three pictures fought to focus in his mind: the two landscapes which did not match and a shadowy third.
Chapter 2 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of The Defiant Agents, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Defiant Agents by Andre Norton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3953 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 791 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Defiant Agents section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Defiant Agents 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 Defiant Agents, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
