Chapter 1 of Criminal Negligence is here in full — 689 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Criminal Negligence is here in full — 689 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly. "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked. "Is that why you want me?" "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general. His name was Knox.
Chapter 1 of Criminal Negligence is here in full — 689 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/137 · 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.
plural of “criminal” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “"You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.”
Scottish theologian who founded Presbyterianism in Scotland and wrote a history of the Reformation in Scotland (1514-1572)
From this reading “His name was Knox.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “"Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.”
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 “"You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “_Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “_Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “"Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.”
The chief official or governor in charge of a prison institution.
From this reading “_Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
plural of “criminal” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
the act of departing
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His name was Knox.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is that why you want me?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
Scottish theologian who founded Presbyterianism in Scotland and wrote a history of the Reformation in Scotland (1514-1572)
From this reading His name was Knox.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
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 "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Is that why you want me?"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading His name was Knox.
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
a person, without saying who
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Is that why you want me?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Is that why you want me?"
The chief official or governor in charge of a prison institution.
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Of course we don't, sir!" snapped the lieutenant general.
which person or people
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Is that why you want me?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading _Somebody was going to have to be left behind ... and who it would be was perfectly obvious...._ Warden Halloran smiled slightly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You expect to have criminals on Mars, then?" he asked.
Chapter 1 of Criminal Negligence by J. Francis McComas holds 689 sentences, grouped into 138 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 689 sentences of Criminal Negligence, unabridged, divided into 138 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Criminal Negligence by J. Francis McComas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 689 sentences, grouped into 138 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 138 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 138 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 Criminal Negligence by J. Francis McComas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 689 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24399 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24399, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 57 minutes of reading across 138 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Criminal Negligence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Criminal Negligence 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 Criminal Negligence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
