Chapter 2 of The Weather on Mercury is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Weather on Mercury is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lamoureux nodded to himself. That was probably it. The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken. * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance. What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
Chapter 2 of The Weather on Mercury is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “* * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.”
past form of “nickname” — give a nickname to
From this reading “* * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Lamoureux nodded to himself.”
medium for communication
From this reading “The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.”
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading “What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “* * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.”
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 “* * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.”
In this reading “* * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.”
In this reading “The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.”
In this reading “* * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.”
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 * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Lamoureux nodded to himself.
ten 10s
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That was probably it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lamoureux nodded to himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
the force of workers available
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
past form of “nickname” — give a nickname to
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Lamoureux nodded to himself.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading That was probably it.
medium for communication
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading * * * * * Big Muscles, as the other men had nicknamed McCracken, was a few hundred feet away, staring off into the distance.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was probably it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
a special situation
From this reading The first thing, then, was to get the radio set from McCracken.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Lamoureux nodded to himself.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was probably it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What else he could see besides snow, Lamoureux couldn't guess.
Chapter 2 of The Weather on Mercury by Joseph Samachson holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of The Weather on Mercury, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Weather on Mercury by Joseph Samachson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Weather on Mercury by Joseph Samachson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 905 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 75 minutes of reading across 181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Weather on Mercury section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Weather on Mercury 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 Weather on Mercury, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
