Chapter 1 of Blank? is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Blank? is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Blank? Amnesia? Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000? Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue. He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
Chapter 1 of Blank? is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
partial or total loss of memory
From this reading “Amnesia?”
a line of approach
From this reading “Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.”
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “Blank?”
a wild delusion (especially one induced by a hallucinogenic drug)
From this reading “He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.”
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading “He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.”
gained or acquired; especially through merit or as a result of effort or action
From this reading “Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?”
4th President of the United States; member of the Continental Congress and rapporteur at the Constitutional Convention in 1776; helped frame the Bill of Rights (1751-1836)
From this reading “Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.”
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading “He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.”
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 “He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
partial or total loss of memory
From this reading Amnesia?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
a line of approach
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading Blank?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
a wild delusion (especially one induced by a hallucinogenic drug)
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
gained or acquired; especially through merit or as a result of effort or action
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
set up or found
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
4th President of the United States; member of the Continental Congress and rapporteur at the Constitutional Convention in 1776; helped frame the Bill of Rights (1751-1836)
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
by chance
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
a particular point in time
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
having a supporting base
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bethelman came to quite suddenly, and found himself standing on the corner of 44th Street and Madison Avenue.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was dizzy for a moment--not from any physical cause, but from the disorientation.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
in or at the place that
From this reading Well, maybe--but how and where had he earned that $50,000?
Chapter 1 of Blank? by Randall Garrett holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 207 sentences of Blank?, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Blank? by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Blank? by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 207 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71525 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71525, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 17 minutes of reading across 42 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blank? section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Blank? 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 Blank?, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
