Chapter 2 of The mark of the monster is here in full — 471 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The mark of the monster is here in full — 471 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Questions thronged my mind. But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat. I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom. "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family." His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
Chapter 2 of The mark of the monster is here in full — 471 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
very lively and profitable
From this reading “I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.”
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading “I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.”
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading “I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.”
past form of “gesture” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.”
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.”
a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung
From this reading “But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.”
filled with great numbers crowded together
From this reading “Questions thronged my mind.”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.”
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 could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.”
In this reading “"I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.”
In this reading “His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.”
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 I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
very lively and profitable
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
remove the dust from
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
a social unit living together
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
past form of “gesture” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
intense and profound fear
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
hear with intention
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Questions thronged my mind.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Questions thronged my mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
and nothing more
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading Questions thronged my mind.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading But the stinging dust of horror had suddenly filled my throat.
filled with great numbers crowded together
From this reading Questions thronged my mind.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading His lean hand gestured at the dark, heavy volumes on the shelves.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I could only listen, as that hollow voice went on, like a booming chant of doom.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I shall begin, Clay, with the early history of your family."
Chapter 2 of The mark of the monster by Jack Williamson holds 471 sentences, grouped into 95 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 471 sentences of The mark of the monster, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The mark of the monster by Jack Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 471 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 mark of the monster by Jack Williamson 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 mark of the monster section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The mark of the monster 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 mark of the monster, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
