Chapter II of The Transient Lake, “Frank Makes a Decision,” is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter II of The Transient Lake, “Frank Makes a Decision,” is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes. The young inventor was intensely interested. “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain. “Water of course. It was all before us.
Chapter II of The Transient Lake, “Frank Makes a Decision,” is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.”
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading “The young inventor was intensely interested.”
past form of “interrogate” — transmit (a signal) for setting off an appropriate response, as in telecommunication
From this reading ““How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.”
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading “The young inventor was intensely interested.”
the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence
From this reading “The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.”
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.”
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading ““How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.”
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 “The young inventor was intensely interested.”
In this reading “The young inventor was intensely interested.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““Water of course.”
In this reading ““How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.”
In this reading “The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.”
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.
anew
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
(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 It was all before us.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was all before us.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Water of course.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading The young inventor was intensely interested.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading The young inventor was intensely interested.
past form of “interrogate” — transmit (a signal) for setting off an appropriate response, as in telecommunication
From this reading “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading The young inventor was intensely interested.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was all before us.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Water of course.
the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look in Frank’s eyes.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was all before us.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The young inventor was intensely interested.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading “Water of course.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young inventor was intensely interested.
Chapter 2 of The Transient Lake by Luis Senarens holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 148 sentences of The Transient Lake, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Transient Lake by Luis Senarens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Transient Lake by Luis Senarens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1706 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55556 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55556, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 142 minutes of reading across 342 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Transient Lake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Transient Lake 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 Transient Lake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
