Chapter 1 of A Choice of Miracles is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Choice of Miracles is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face. There is nothing left but prayer. So you ask for your life. But wait! Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
Chapter 1 of A Choice of Miracles is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading “Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “So you ask for your life.”
a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival
From this reading “_You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.”
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading “There is nothing left but prayer.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “_You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.”
a native or inhabitant of Sweden
From this reading “Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “But wait!”
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 “_You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.”
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 Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
(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 Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading So you ask for your life.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There is nothing left but prayer.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading So you ask for your life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is nothing left but prayer.
a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
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 There is nothing left but prayer.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading So you ask for your life.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There is nothing left but prayer.
the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
From this reading There is nothing left but prayer.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So you ask for your life.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
a native or inhabitant of Sweden
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is nothing left but prayer.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading But wait!
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Are you sure that's really what you want above all else?_ Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading So you ask for your life.
Chapter 1 of A Choice of Miracles by James A. Cox holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 239 sentences of A Choice of Miracles, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Choice of Miracles by James A. Cox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Choice of Miracles by James A. Cox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 239 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26190 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26190, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 19 minutes of reading across 48 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Choice of Miracles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of A Choice of Miracles 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 Choice of Miracles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
