Chapter 2 of The Earth Quarter is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Earth Quarter is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing? To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children? To find safety, to find happiness?" He spread his arms. "There are a million directions we could follow.
Chapter 2 of The Earth Quarter is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading “"There are a million directions we could follow.”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading “To find safety, to find happiness?"”
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading “To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?”
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “"Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?”
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading “"There are a million directions we could follow.”
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading “To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?”
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading “To find safety, to find happiness?"”
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading “He spread his arms.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are a million directions we could follow.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He spread his arms.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "There are a million directions we could follow.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading "There are a million directions we could follow.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "There are a million directions we could follow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading To find safety, to find happiness?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He spread his arms.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He spread his arms.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading "There are a million directions we could follow.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading To find peace and honor for ourselves and our children?
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading To find safety, to find happiness?"
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading He spread his arms.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are a million directions we could follow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Which way shall we turn to find a safe landing?
Chapter 2 of The Earth Quarter by Damon Knight holds 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 526 sentences of The Earth Quarter, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Earth Quarter by Damon Knight exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 106 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 Earth Quarter by Damon Knight on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1586 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58912 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58912, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 132 minutes of reading across 318 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Earth Quarter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Earth Quarter 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 Earth Quarter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
