Chapter 2 of The Whispering Spheres is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Whispering Spheres is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol. "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside." Captain Taylor turned to Masters. "Keep him covered. I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
Chapter 2 of The Whispering Spheres is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.”
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading “Captain Taylor turned to Masters.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.”
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.”
plural of “sphere” — a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading “THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “Captain Taylor turned to Masters.”
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 SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
anew
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading "Keep him covered.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Keep him covered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Keep him covered.
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading Captain Taylor turned to Masters.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
plural of “sphere” — a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading Captain Taylor turned to Masters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Captain Taylor turned to Masters.
except if; if not
From this reading I'll be back unless the bomb goes off."
at the time that
From this reading THE SPHERES When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouth of a service pistol.
Chapter 2 of The Whispering Spheres by R. R. (Russell Robert) Winterbotham holds 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 88 sentences of The Whispering Spheres, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Whispering Spheres by R. R. (Russell Robert) Winterbotham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Whispering Spheres by R. R. (Russell Robert) Winterbotham 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 Whispering Spheres section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Whispering Spheres 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 Whispering Spheres, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
