Chapter 1 of ...After a Few Words... is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of ...After a Few Words... is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After a Few Words ... This is a science-fiction story. History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today. He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
Chapter 1 of ...After a Few Words... is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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 “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading “History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.”
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading “He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.”
related to or involving literary fiction
From this reading “History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.”
with resolute determination
From this reading “He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.”
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading “He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.”
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading “He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading “He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.”
the present time or age
From this reading “History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.”
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 After a Few Words ...
later than; following
From this reading After a Few Words ...
(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 History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading After a Few Words ...
related to or involving literary fiction
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
with resolute determination
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a science-fiction story.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
used to form the superlative
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is a science-fiction story.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading This is a science-fiction story.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is a science-fiction story.
the present time or age
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
up to a particular time
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He settled himself comfortably in his seat, and carefully put the helmet on, pulling it down firmly until it was properly seated.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
the words that are spoken
From this reading After a Few Words ...
Chapter 1 of ...After a Few Words... by Randall Garrett holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 221 sentences of ...After a Few Words..., unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of ...After a Few Words... by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 ...After a Few Words... by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 221 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23960, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 18 minutes of reading across 45 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through ...After a Few Words... section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of ...After a Few Words... 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 ...After a Few Words..., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
