Chapter 2 of The Instant of Now is here in full — 595 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Instant of Now is here in full — 595 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling. He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning. The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna. He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here. Work camp?
Chapter 2 of The Instant of Now is here in full — 595 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/119 · 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.”
plural of “camp” — temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.”
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading “The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.”
-ing form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.”
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading “The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.”
arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach
From this reading “He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.”
restate (words) from one language into another language
From this reading “He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.”
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.
detect with the senses
In this reading “He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.”
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 He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading Work camp?
plural of “camp” — temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
a young female
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
engage in
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
-ing form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
restate (words) from one language into another language
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Bewildered, Dirrul sat up, his head reeling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He wanted to check something or other to see if she were here.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He understood a little Vininese, not enough to translate exactly what had been said but enough to make out a tantalizing half-meaning.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The driver was searching all the work camps, he had said, for the Agronian girl, Glenna.
Chapter 2 of The Instant of Now by Irving E., Jr. Cox holds 595 sentences, grouped into 119 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 595 sentences of The Instant of Now, unabridged, divided into 119 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Instant of Now by Irving E., Jr. Cox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 595 sentences, grouped into 119 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 119 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 119 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 Instant of Now by Irving E., Jr. Cox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1197 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31651 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31651, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Instant of Now section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Instant of Now 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 Instant of Now, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
