Chapter 2 of The Skull is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Skull is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I have a speech impediment." "Oh." Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry." They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
Chapter 2 of The Skull is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/107 · 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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.”
something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress
From this reading “"I have a speech impediment."”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “"I'm sorry."”
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “"I have a speech impediment."”
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading “Her eyes widened.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.”
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 have a speech impediment."
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her eyes widened.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have a speech impediment."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her eyes widened.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have a speech impediment."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sorry."
something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress
From this reading "I have a speech impediment."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "I'm sorry."
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading "I have a speech impediment."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked at him curiously as the car purred along.
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading Her eyes widened.
Chapter 2 of The Skull by Philip K. Dick holds 536 sentences, grouped into 108 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 536 sentences of The Skull, unabridged, divided into 108 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Skull by Philip K. Dick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 536 sentences, grouped into 108 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 108 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 108 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 Skull by Philip K. Dick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1083 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30255 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30255, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 90 minutes of reading across 217 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Skull section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Skull 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 Skull, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
