Chapter 2 of The Madman From Earth is here in full — 517 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Madman From Earth is here in full — 517 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Listen carefully, Fith," he said. "Your bluff has been called. You don't come in and we don't come out. Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now. I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
Chapter 2 of The Madman From Earth is here in full — 517 sentences across 104 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/103 · 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 high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading “"Your bluff has been called.”
disguise by camouflaging; exploit the natural surroundings to disguise something
From this reading “Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.”
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading “I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."”
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading “I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.”
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 “I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."”
In this reading “Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.”
In this reading “"Listen carefully, Fith," he said.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “You don't come in and we don't come out.”
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 Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Your bluff has been called.
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading "Your bluff has been called.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Your bluff has been called.
disguise by camouflaging; exploit the natural surroundings to disguise something
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading "Listen carefully, Fith," he said.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Listen carefully, Fith," he said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your bluff has been called.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Listen carefully, Fith," he said.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
hear with intention
From this reading "Listen carefully, Fith," he said.
engage in
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
above and across; more than
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Listen carefully, Fith," he said.
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading I suggest you keep your heads and resist the temptation to make matters worse than they are."
a late time of life
From this reading Your camouflage worked for nine years, but it's all over now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You don't come in and we don't come out.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your bluff has been called.
Chapter 2 of The Madman From Earth by Keith Laumer holds 517 sentences, grouped into 104 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 517 sentences of The Madman From Earth, unabridged, divided into 104 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Madman From Earth by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 517 sentences, grouped into 104 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 104 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 104 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 Madman From Earth by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1033 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61139 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61139, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 86 minutes of reading across 207 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Madman From Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Madman From Earth 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 Madman From Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
