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Chicken Farm
Chicken Farm

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Chicken Farm is here in full — 592 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Chicken Farm
Context Illustration Reading 1/118 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Harvey was a most unusual little man.
A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.
He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....
But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.
The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chicken Farm

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Chicken Farm is here in full — 592 sentences across 119 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/118 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Harvey was a most unusual little man.
/ˈhɑːrvi wɑːz ə moʊst əˈnjuːʒuːəl ˈlɪtəl mæn/
Line 2
A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.
Line 3
He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....
Line 4
But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.
/bʌt kʊd hiː faɪnd ˈænə frʌm ˈɔːrəɡən huː ˈdaʊtɪd hɪz ˈɡreɪtəst dɪˈskʌvəri ʌv ɔːl dʒʌst ɪn frʌm ə lɔːŋ hɔːl ˈsɜːrtʃɪŋ fɔːr ˈæstərɔɪd ˈdʒʌŋktʃər pɔɪnts ˈhɑːrvi ˈentərd ðə ˈlɑːbi ʌv ðə hoʊˈtel diː mɑːrz ənd went streɪt tuː ðə ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃən desk/
Line 5
The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

Learner Dictionary

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.

asteroid noun US /ˈæstərɔɪd/

any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)

From this reading “He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....”

blond adjective US /blɑːnd/

being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes

From this reading “The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.”

haul verb US /hɔːl/

draw slowly or heavily

From this reading “But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.”

juncture noun US /ˈdʒʌŋktʃər/

an event that occurs at a critical time

From this reading “He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....”

lobby noun US /ˈlɑːbi/

a large entrance or reception room or area

From this reading “But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.”

Oregon noun US /ˈɔːrəɡən/

a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific

From this reading “But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.”

planets noun US /ˈplænəts/

plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light

From this reading “He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....”

registration noun US /ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃən/

the act of enrolling

From this reading “But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

most unusual adverb + adjective

In this reading “_Harvey was a most unusual little man.”

went straight verb + adjective counted as “go straight”

In this reading “But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.”

looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.”

at the desk preposition + article + noun counted as “at … desk”

In this reading “The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

AnnanounUS /ˈænə/

a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

asteroidnounUS /ˈæstərɔɪd/

any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

asteroid-juncture

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

blondadjectiveUS /blɑːnd/

being or having light colored skin and hair and usually blue or grey eyes

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

blue-eyedadjective

favorite

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

chubbinessnoun

the property of having a plump and round body

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

Cosmos-minded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

desknounUS /desk/

a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

discoververbUS /dɪˈskʌvər/

discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

discoverynounUS /dɪˈskʌvəri/

the act of discovering something

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

doubtedverbUS /ˈdaʊtɪd/

past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

easeverbUS /iːz/

move gently or carefully

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

faultsnounUS /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

HarveynounUS /ˈhɑːrvi/

English physician and scientist who described the circulation of the blood; he later proposed that all animals originate from an ovum produced by the female of the species (1578-1657)

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

haulverbUS /hɔːl/

draw slowly or heavily

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

HotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

incliningnoun

the act of inclining; bending forward

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

juncturenounUS /ˈdʒʌŋktʃər/

an event that occurs at a critical time

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

lobbynounUS /ˈlɑːbi/

a large entrance or reception room or area

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

MarsnounUS /mɑːrz/

a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.

OregonnounUS /ˈɔːrəɡən/

a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

perp

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

planetsnounUS /ˈplænəts/

plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

pointsnounUS /pɔɪnts/

plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

purposenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəs/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.

registrationnounUS /ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃən/

the act of enrolling

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

searchingadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtʃɪŋ/

diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

singlenessnoun

without hypocrisy

From this reading A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.

smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

straightadjectiveUS /streɪt/

successive (without a break)

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading He could discover asteroid-juncture faults with the greatest of ease, and "perp" planets, too....

unusualadjectiveUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading _Harvey was a most unusual little man.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading But could he find Anna from Oregon who doubted his greatest discovery of all?_ Just in from a long haul searching for asteroid juncture points, Harvey entered the lobby of the Hotel de Mars and went straight to the registration desk.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading A Cosmos-minded man with great singleness of purpose.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The woman at the desk, who was blond, and blue-eyed, and inclining to chubbiness, looked at him, smiled.

Chapter 1 of Chicken Farm by Ross Rocklynne holds 592 sentences, grouped into 119 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.

What does chapter 1 of Chicken Farm contain?

Chapter 1 holds 592 sentences of Chicken Farm, unabridged, divided into 119 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Chicken Farm by Ross Rocklynne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 592 sentences, grouped into 119 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Chicken Farm?

Work through the 119 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 119 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Chicken Farm

Common questions about reading Chicken Farm by Ross Rocklynne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Chicken Farm?

Yes. All 592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64481 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Chicken Farm is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #64481, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Chicken Farm take to read?

About 49 minutes of reading across 119 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Chicken Farm section by section

How to work through Chicken Farm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Chicken Farm to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Chicken Farm

Words and structures a reader meets early in Chicken Farm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Harvey
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Chicken Farm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Unusual
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Chicken Farm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Chicken Farm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cosmos-minded
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Chicken Farm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.