Chapter 2 of The Impossibles is here in full — 426 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 Impossibles is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Something funny?" Malone asked. He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh. But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank. "That's right," Burris said.
Chapter 2 of The Impossibles is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.”
past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about
From this reading “He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.”
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “"Something funny?"”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “Malone asked.”
open to arguments, ideas, or change
From this reading “But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.”
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.”
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 But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Malone asked.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's right," Burris said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading "Something funny?"
the act of departing
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
engage in
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading Malone asked.
open to arguments, ideas, or change
From this reading But he kept his face a careful, receptive blank.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "That's right," Burris said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's right," Burris said.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something funny?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's right," Burris said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading He doubted that, whatever it was, it was going to make him laugh.
Chapter 2 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett holds 426 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 426 sentences of The Impossibles, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 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 Impossibles by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Impossibles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Impossibles 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 Impossibles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
