Chapter 2 of Unhuman tour is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Unhuman tour is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Are you there?” I said, but no response came. I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind. A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly. Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
Chapter 2 of Unhuman tour is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
plural of “coin” — a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money
From this reading “Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.”
superlative of “humble” — low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading “I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.”
past form of “paper” — cover with paper
From this reading “I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.”
plural of “sandal” — a shoe consisting of a sole fastened by straps to the foot
From this reading “A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.”
plural of “screen” — a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading “I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.”
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading “I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.”
plural of “sweet” — English phonetician; one of the founders of modern phonetics (1845-1912)
From this reading “Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.”
plural of “tray” — an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading “Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.”
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.
available for purchase
In this reading “A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.”
In this reading “I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.”
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 was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are you there?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I said, but no response came.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I said, but no response came.
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
plural of “coin” — a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
in a forlorn manner
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
superlative of “humble” — low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said, but no response came.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
not any; not one
From this reading I said, but no response came.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
past form of “paper” — cover with paper
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
a result
From this reading I said, but no response came.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said, but no response came.
a particular instance of selling
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
plural of “sandal” — a shoe consisting of a sole fastened by straps to the foot
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
plural of “screen” — a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
do one's shopping
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
the act of closing something
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
having a supporting base
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
plural of “sweet” — English phonetician; one of the founders of modern phonetics (1845-1912)
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading A bunch of ♦straw sandals for sale was hanging from the eve, swinging ♠forlornly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Are you there?”
plural of “tray” — an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I was standing before the humblest shop, which had at its rear papered sliding screens, shutting from view a room behind.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Under a low counter were a few trays of cheap sweets, with some small coins lying about.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Are you there?”
Chapter 2 of Unhuman tour by Soseki Natsume holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of Unhuman tour, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Unhuman tour by Soseki Natsume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Unhuman tour by Soseki Natsume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73131 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73131, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 202 minutes of reading across 487 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Unhuman tour section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Unhuman tour 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 Unhuman tour, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
