Chapter 1 of Cause of Death is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cause of Death is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore? About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh. Not the way they did about the swimming. "Oh, come now. No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
Chapter 1 of Cause of Death is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
an extra or repeated performance; usually given in response to audience demand
From this reading “Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “No one could learn to swim by reading a book.”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading “Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?”
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “No one could learn to swim by reading a book.”
travel through water
From this reading “No one could learn to swim by reading a book.”
the act of swimming
From this reading “Not the way they did about the swimming.”
furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
From this reading “Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?”
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.
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 No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Oh, come now.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Not the way they did about the swimming.
an extra or repeated performance; usually given in response to audience demand
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
the sound of laughing
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
not any; not one
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not the way they did about the swimming.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Oh, come now.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, come now.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
be standing; be upright
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
travel through water
From this reading No one could learn to swim by reading a book.
the act of swimming
From this reading Not the way they did about the swimming.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not the way they did about the swimming.
a special situation
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading About this thing, I couldn't stand to have them laugh.
furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Not the way they did about the swimming.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Reaching the ultimate secret was no problem ... but could I follow it up with an encore?
Chapter 1 of Cause of Death by Max Tadlock holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 187 sentences of Cause of Death, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cause of Death by Max Tadlock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Cause of Death by Max Tadlock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 187 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51137 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51137, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 15 minutes of reading across 38 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cause of Death section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Cause of Death 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 Cause of Death, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
