Chapter 2 of The vanishers is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The vanishers is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints. Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft. After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men. "Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter. "It's starting again.
Chapter 2 of The vanishers is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading “Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.”
plural of “footprint” — a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
From this reading “The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.”
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading “After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.”
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.”
tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading “The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.”
lighted only by stars
From this reading “After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.”
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading “"It's starting again.”
a musician who plays the trumpet or cornet
From this reading “"Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter.”
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 “After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.”
In this reading “Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.”
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 The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
later than; following
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
anew
From this reading "It's starting again.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter.
plural of “footprint” — a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's starting again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
the force of workers available
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter.
not any; not one
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
a brief written record
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
formed again or anew
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
lighted only by stars
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading "It's starting again.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
a musician who plays the trumpet or cornet
From this reading "Mother of God!" cried Krane, the trumpeter.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Shadow Men, it gave us a shiver to note, left no footprints.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Nor had they in any way affected the landing craft.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading After the starlit funeral, we re-formed as we had been before the sudden appearance of the Shadow Men.
Chapter 2 of The vanishers by Arthur J. Burks holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The vanishers, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The vanishers by Arthur J. Burks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 vanishers by Arthur J. Burks 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 vanishers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The vanishers 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 vanishers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
