Chapter 2 of The Sensitive Man is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Sensitive Man is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm on vacation now," said the man. Dalgetty did not reply in kind. After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?" Dalgetty felt a slight shock. A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
Chapter 2 of The Sensitive Man is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
established by conditioning or learning
From this reading “A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.”
money collected under a tariff
From this reading “A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.”
the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others
From this reading “A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “Dalgetty felt a slight shock.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.”
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “"I'm on vacation now," said the man.”
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 “Dalgetty felt a slight shock.”
In this reading “Dalgetty felt a slight shock.”
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 After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
later than; following
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
established by conditioning or learning
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
money collected under a tariff
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dalgetty did not reply in kind.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Dalgetty did not reply in kind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Dalgetty felt a slight shock.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
a young female
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dalgetty did not reply in kind.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Dalgetty did not reply in kind.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
a particular point in time
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Dalgetty did not reply in kind.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
in other respects or ways
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Dalgetty did not reply in kind.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Dalgetty felt a slight shock.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading Dalgetty felt a slight shock.
a person, without saying who
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
express a supposition
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading "I'm on vacation now," said the man.
(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 A personal question from a stranger--well, you didn't expect otherwise from someone like the girl Glenna but a professor should be better conditioned to privacy customs.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading After a moment--"You are too, I suppose?"
Chapter 2 of The Sensitive Man by Poul Anderson holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Sensitive Man, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Sensitive Man by Poul Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Sensitive Man by Poul Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2033 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31501 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31501, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 407 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sensitive Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Sensitive Man 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 Sensitive Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
