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Community Property
Community Property

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Community Property is here in full — 596 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Community Property
Context Illustration Reading 1/119 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!
Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!
Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.
This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.
Me.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Community Property

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Community Property is here in full — 596 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/119 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!
Line 2
Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!
Line 3
Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.
Line 4
This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.
Line 5
Me.
/miː/

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.

differ verb US /ˈdɪfər/

be different

From this reading “Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.”

divorce verb US /dɪˈvɔːrs/

part; cease or break association with

From this reading “_The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!”

embittered verb US /emˈbɪtərd/

past form of “embitter” — cause to be bitter or resentful

From this reading “Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.”

generalship noun US /ˈdʒenərəlʃɪp/

the leadership ability of a military general

From this reading “Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!”

precedent noun US /ˈpresɪdənt/

an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time

From this reading “Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!”

unlikely adjective US /ənˈlaɪkli/

not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred

From this reading “This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.”

Venus noun US /ˈviːnəs/

the second nearest planet to the sun

From this reading “Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.”

Weinberg noun US /ˈwaɪnbərɡ/

United States theoretical physicist (born in 1933)

From this reading “This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.”

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.

blue eyes adjective + noun

In this reading “This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.”

divorce case verb + noun

In this reading “_The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!”

about five preposition + noun

In this reading “This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.”

name of verb + particle

In this reading “This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.”

All words in this reading · 65

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 Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

alasexclamationUS /əˈlæs/

used to show sadness, pity, or regret

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading _The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

differverbUS /ˈdɪfər/

be different

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

divorceverbUS /dɪˈvɔːrs/

part; cease or break association with

From this reading _The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!

EaglenounUS /ˈiːɡəl/

any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

effectsnounUS /ɪˈfekts/

property of a personal character that is portable but not used in business

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

embitteredverbUS /emˈbɪtərd/

past form of “embitter” — cause to be bitter or resentful

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

FamenounUS /feɪm/

the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

fastadverbUS /fæst/

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading _The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

generalshipnounUS /ˈdʒenərəlʃɪp/

the leadership ability of a military general

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

greyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

HabitsnounUS /ˈhæbəts/

plural of “habit” — an established custom

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

history-shattering

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

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

IIInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

Jose

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

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

lawsnounUS /lɔːz/

the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

lawyernounUS /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

LegaladjectiveUS /ˈliːɡəl/

established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

MepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Me.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

non-Terrestrial

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

From this reading _The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!

Obanion

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

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

precedentnounUS /ˈpresɪdənt/

an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

spaceflightnoun

a voyage outside the Earth's atmosphere

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

successfuladjectiveUS /səkˈsesfəl/

having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome

From this reading _The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

Terrie

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

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _The first successful non-Terrestrial divorce case!

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

three-sexed

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

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

turningnounUS /ˈtɜːrnɪŋ/

the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

unlikelyadjectiveUS /ənˈlaɪkli/

not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

VenusnounUS /ˈviːnəs/

the second nearest planet to the sun

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

Venusian

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

From this reading Fame for Legal Eagle Jose Obanion for his generalship of a three-sexed, five Venusian history-shattering precedent!

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

WeinbergnounUS /ˈwaɪnbərɡ/

United States theoretical physicist (born in 1933)

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

writeverbUS /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading Habits are habits but--alas!--on Venus they differ...._ One of these days an embittered lawyer is going to write a text on the effects of spaceflight on the divorce laws.

writernounUS /ˈraɪtər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading This writer will be a Terrie, about five ten, with blue eyes, black hair--turning grey very fast, and the unlikely name of Jose Weinberg Obanion III.

Chapter 1 of Community Property by Alfred Coppel holds 596 sentences, grouped into 120 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 Community Property contain?

Chapter 1 holds 596 sentences of Community Property, unabridged, divided into 120 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Community Property by Alfred Coppel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 596 sentences, grouped into 120 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 Community Property?

Work through the 120 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 120 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 Community Property

Common questions about reading Community Property by Alfred Coppel on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Community Property?

Yes. All 596 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58802 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Community Property is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #58802, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Community Property take to read?

About 49 minutes of reading across 120 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Community Property section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Community Property 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 Community Property

Words and structures a reader meets early in Community Property, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Community Property; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Successful
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Community Property; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Non-terrestrial
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Community Property; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Divorce
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Community Property; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.