Chapter 2 of The K-Factor is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The K-Factor is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Won't there be repercussions?" Costa asked. "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up. Like an obvious move by the enemy?" "Not at all.
Chapter 2 of The K-Factor is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 riblike part of a plant or animal (such as a middle rib of a leaf or a thickened vein of an insect wing)
From this reading “Costa asked.”
an opposing military force
From this reading “Like an obvious move by the enemy?"”
of great significance or value
From this reading “"If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “Like an obvious move by the enemy?"”
plural of “repercussion” — a remote or indirect consequence of some action
From this reading “"Won't there be repercussions?"”
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading “"If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.”
propel through the air
From this reading “"If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.”
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading “"If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.”
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.
(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 "Not at all.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Costa asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Not at all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Won't there be repercussions?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
a riblike part of a plant or animal (such as a middle rib of a leaf or a thickened vein of an insect wing)
From this reading Costa asked.
an opposing military force
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
of great significance or value
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not at all.
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
plural of “repercussion” — a remote or indirect consequence of some action
From this reading "Won't there be repercussions?"
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like an obvious move by the enemy?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Won't there be repercussions?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
propel through the air
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading "If they are this important and throw so much weight around--won't it look suspicious if they are suddenly shut up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Won't there be repercussions?"
Chapter 2 of The K-Factor by Harry Harrison holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The K-Factor, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The K-Factor by Harry Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 K-Factor by Harry Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22540 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22540, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 70 minutes of reading across 170 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The K-Factor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The K-Factor 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 K-Factor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
