Chapter 1 of A Bullet for Cinderella is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Bullet for Cinderella is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. CAME THE DARK.... They lay on their sides, facing each other. In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist. "So we wait," she said.
Chapter 1 of A Bullet for Cinderella is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
occurring or operating at the same time
From this reading “All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.”
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading “In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.”
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “They lay on their sides, facing each other.”
related to or involving literary fiction
From this reading “All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.”
restricted to something
From this reading “All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.”
similarity in appearance or external or superficial details
From this reading “All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.”
the visual property of something that shines with reflected light
From this reading “In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.”
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading “In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.”
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 “They lay on their sides, facing each other.”
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.
(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 All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading CAME THE DARK....
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
occurring or operating at the same time
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading CAME THE DARK....
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
opinion or judgment
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
related to or involving literary fiction
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
a greyish light (as at dawn or dusk or in dim interiors)
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
restricted to something
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
similarity in appearance or external or superficial details
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "So we wait," she said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "So we wait," she said.
the visual property of something that shines with reflected light
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So we wait," she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CAME THE DARK....
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They lay on their sides, facing each other.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All characters in this book are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading In the half-light of the cave he could see the sheen of her eyes, the slow curve of her waist.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "So we wait," she said.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "So we wait," she said.
Chapter 1 of A Bullet for Cinderella by John D. (John Dann) MacDonald holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 1 holds 427 sentences of A Bullet for Cinderella, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Bullet for Cinderella by John D. (John Dann) MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 1 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 A Bullet for Cinderella by John D. (John Dann) MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5799 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49931 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49931, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 483 minutes of reading across 1160 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Bullet for Cinderella section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of A Bullet for Cinderella 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 A Bullet for Cinderella, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
