Chapter 1 of Alien is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Alien is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted. He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone. "McDowell," he grunted. "McDowell," came the voice in his ear. "I think ye'd better come overe here."
Chapter 1 of Alien is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
a young unmarried woman
From this reading “He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.”
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading “The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.”
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading “He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.”
grass with long cylindrical spikes grown in northern United States and Europe for hay
From this reading “The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.”
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.
cause to sit or seat or be in a settled position or place
In this reading “He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "McDowell," came the voice in his ear.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
a young unmarried woman
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading "McDowell," came the voice in his ear.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "McDowell," came the voice in his ear.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading He put down his magazine, and hastily covered the partially-clad damsel on the front cover before he answered the ringing phone.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
grass with long cylindrical spikes grown in northern United States and Europe for hay
From this reading The telephone rang and the lieutenant of police Timothy McDowell grunted.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "McDowell," came the voice in his ear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think ye'd better come overe here."
Chapter 1 of Alien by George O. (George Oliver) Smith holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 362 sentences of Alien, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Alien by George O. (George Oliver) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 Alien by George O. (George Oliver) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 362 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68196 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68196, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 30 minutes of reading across 73 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alien section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Alien 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 Alien, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
