Chapter 1 of Chain of Command is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Chain of Command is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass! "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him. Are you a mouse or a worm?"
Chapter 1 of Chain of Command is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
official routes of communication
From this reading “By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!”
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading “This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.”
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
cool and formal in manner
From this reading “"George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.”
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture
From this reading “By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!”
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “Are you a mouse or a worm?"”
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 “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
In this reading “This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.”
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 This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Are you a mouse or a worm?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you a mouse or a worm?"
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
an alloy of copper and zinc
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
official routes of communication
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
the act of departing
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading Are you a mouse or a worm?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Are you a mouse or a worm?"
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
restored to a new condition
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
cool and formal in manner
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
the upper part of anything
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1954.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading By going through channels, George worked up from the woodwork to the top brass!
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading Are you a mouse or a worm?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "George," Clara said with restrained fury, "the least you could do is ask him.
Chapter 1 of Chain of Command by Stephen Arr holds 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 282 sentences of Chain of Command, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Chain of Command by Stephen Arr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 Chain of Command by Stephen Arr on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Chain of Command section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Chain of Command 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 Chain of Command, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
