Chapter 1 of Beyond the Law is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Beyond the Law is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Did you ever kill a man?” The question came quietly out of a long silence. The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice. “No, Johnny. I never killed a man.
Chapter 1 of Beyond the Law is here in full — 91 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading ““No, Johnny.”
possessive form of “partner” — a person's partner in marriage
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
in a strange manner
From this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
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 “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
In this reading “The question came quietly out of a long silence.”
seek information from
In this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
In this reading “The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.”
In this reading ““Did you ever kill a man?””
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 “Did you ever kill a man?”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did you ever kill a man?”
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
at any time
From this reading “Did you ever kill a man?”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
death of a person
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never killed a man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “No, Johnny.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “Did you ever kill a man?”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I never killed a man.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Did you ever kill a man?”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never killed a man.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, Johnny.
a brief written record
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
possessive form of “partner” — a person's partner in marriage
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
with speed
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
with low volume
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
in a strange manner
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The question came quietly out of a long silence.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Did you ever kill a man?”
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading The younger man looked up quickly from the crackling camp-fire, his eyes searching his partner’s grave face for an explanation of the strangely dull note in his voice.
Chapter 1 of Beyond the Law by Jackson Gregory holds 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 91 sentences of Beyond the Law, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Beyond the Law by Jackson Gregory exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 91 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Beyond the Law by Jackson Gregory on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65894 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65894, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 220 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beyond the Law section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Beyond the Law 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 Beyond the Law, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
