Chapter 2 of The Human Slaughter-House is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Human Slaughter-House is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MOBILIZATION War! War is declared! So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets. We are at war. It's the real thing this time.
Chapter 2 of The Human Slaughter-House is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “War is declared!”
act of assembling and putting into readiness for war or other emergency: "mobilization of the troops"
From this reading “MOBILIZATION War!”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.”
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading “It's the real thing this time.”
plural of “speed” — distance travelled per unit time
From this reading “So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.”
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.”
a special situation
From this reading “It's the real thing this time.”
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “MOBILIZATION War!”
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.
In this reading “So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.”
informal usage attributing authenticity
In this reading “It's the real thing this time.”
In this reading “We are at war.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are at war.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We are at war.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading War is declared!
characteristic of the bony face of a cadaver
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading War is declared!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's the real thing this time.
act of assembling and putting into readiness for war or other emergency: "mobilization of the troops"
From this reading MOBILIZATION War!
information about recent and important events
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading It's the real thing this time.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
plural of “speed” — distance travelled per unit time
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
a special situation
From this reading It's the real thing this time.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It's the real thing this time.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading So the news speeds hollow-eyed through the streets.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It's the real thing this time.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading MOBILIZATION War!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are at war.
Chapter 2 of The Human Slaughter-House by Wilhelm Lamszus holds 59 sentences, grouped into 12 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 59 sentences of The Human Slaughter-House, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Human Slaughter-House by Wilhelm Lamszus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 59 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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 Human Slaughter-House by Wilhelm Lamszus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39588 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39588, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 103 minutes of reading across 249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Human Slaughter-House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Human Slaughter-House 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 Human Slaughter-House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
