Chapter 2 of The Martian Cabal is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Martian Cabal is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars. There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't. His bed was soft. He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well. Yet Sime did not sleep well.
Chapter 2 of The Martian Cabal is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
the practice or manner of preparing food or the food so prepared
From this reading “He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.”
plural of “delicacy” — the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance
From this reading “He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.”
an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1954 (1899-1961)
From this reading “_Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.”
possessive form of “hotel” — a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.”
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading “_Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.”
imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading “He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.”
perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch
From this reading “There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading His bed was soft.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the practice or manner of preparing food or the food so prepared
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
plural of “delicacy” — the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
past form of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1954 (1899-1961)
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
possessive form of “hotel” — a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
and nothing more
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading His bed was soft.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
in a sumptuous and opulent manner
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the second nearest planet to the sun
From this reading He had dined sumptuously, for this hotel's cuisine offered not only Martian delicacies, but drew on Earth and Venus as well.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading _Strange Intruder_ Sime Hemingway did not sleep well his first night on Mars.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading There was no tangible reason why he shouldn't.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet Sime did not sleep well.
Chapter 2 of The Martian Cabal by Roman Frederick Starzl holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 136 sentences of The Martian Cabal, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Martian Cabal by Roman Frederick Starzl exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Martian Cabal by Roman Frederick Starzl on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2267 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 188 minutes of reading across 454 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Martian Cabal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Martian Cabal 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 Martian Cabal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
