Chapter 2 of The Fire People is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Fire People is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE UNKNOWN ENEMY. When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him. He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff. He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge. His wife was dead.
Chapter 2 of The Fire People is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 university in England
From this reading “He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.”
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading “When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.”
a university in Massachusetts
From this reading “He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.”
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading “When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.”
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading “When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.”
a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena
From this reading “He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.”
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading “He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.”
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading “When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a university in England
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
a female human offspring
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading His wife was dead.
an opposing military force
From this reading THE UNKNOWN ENEMY.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a university in Massachusetts
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
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 was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
on one occasion
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
unusual or striking
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a male human offspring
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE UNKNOWN ENEMY.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
not known
From this reading THE UNKNOWN ENEMY.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was at this time at the head of the Harvard observatory staff.
at the time that
From this reading When, in February, 1941, Professor James Newland issued this remarkable statement, my paper sent me at once to interview him.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading His wife was dead.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He lived with his son and daughter in Cambridge.
Chapter 2 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 104 sentences of The Fire People, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Fire People by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4561 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25780 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25780, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 380 minutes of reading across 913 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fire People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Fire People 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 Fire People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
