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Destiny Uncertain
Destiny Uncertain

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Destiny Uncertain is here in full — 584 sentences across 117 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Destiny Uncertain
Context Illustration Reading 1/116 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?
Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!
"I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.
He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."
Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.
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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.

Destiny Uncertain

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Destiny Uncertain is here in full — 584 sentences across 117 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/116 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?
/ɪz feɪt ə ˈroʊbɑːt ˈtaɪpɪŋ aʊt ðə ˈdestəni ʌv ðə wɜːrld/
Line 2
Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!
Line 3
"I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.
Line 4
He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."
Line 5
Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

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.

destiny noun US /ˈdestəni/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading “Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?”

emerged verb US /ɪˈmɜːrdʒd/

past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment

From this reading “Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.”

gloating noun US /ˈɡloʊtɪŋ/

malicious satisfaction

From this reading “"I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.”

implied verb US /ˌɪmˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “imply” — express or state indirectly

From this reading “"I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.”

Lin noun US /lɪn/

United States sculptor and architect whose public works include the memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War in Washington (born in 1959)

From this reading “Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!”

robot noun US /ˈroʊbɑːt/

a mechanism that can move automatically

From this reading “Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?”

stake noun US /steɪk/

(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something

From this reading “Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!”

typing noun US /ˈtaɪpɪŋ/

writing done with a typewriter

From this reading “Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?”

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.

waited until verb + particle counted as “wait until”

In this reading “He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."”

emerged from verb + particle counted as “emerge from”

In this reading “Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.”

last breath adjective + noun

In this reading “"I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

destinynounUS /ˈdestəni/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

dramaticadjectiveUS /drəˈmætɪk/

suitable to or characteristic of drama

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

emergedverbUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒd/

past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

FatenounUS /feɪt/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

futureadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtʃər/

yet to be or coming

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

gloatingnounUS /ˈɡloʊtɪŋ/

malicious satisfaction

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

historynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/

the aggregate of past events

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

I'm

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

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

impliedverbUS /ˌɪmˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “imply” — express or state indirectly

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

JerrynounUS /ˈdʒeri/

offensive term for a person of German descent

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

laughternounUS /ˈlæftər/

the sound of laughing

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

LinnounUS /lɪn/

United States sculptor and architect whose public works include the memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War in Washington (born in 1959)

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

Myer's

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

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

pagenounUS /peɪdʒ/

one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

remarknounUS /rɪˈmɑːrk/

a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

robotnounUS /ˈroʊbɑːt/

a mechanism that can move automatically

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

seriousadjectiveUS /ˈsɪriəs/

concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

simplyadverbUS /ˈsɪmpli/

and nothing more

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

stakenounUS /steɪk/

(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

stolenounUS /stoʊl/

a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

tonenounUS /toʊn/

the quality of a person's voice

From this reading "I'm never going to take my last breath," Lin said with a gloating tone that implied some deep secret.

trueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

typingnounUS /ˈtaɪpɪŋ/

writing done with a typewriter

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

waitedverbUS /ˈweɪtɪd/

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading He waited until his remark had had its full dramatic moment, then added, "I'm simply going to take my next to last breath and hold it."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

wavenounUS /weɪv/

one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)

From this reading Jerry Myer's voice emerged from the wave of laughter, serious.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Lin knew it was true so with his own future at stake--he stole a page from history!

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Is Fate a robot typing out the destiny of the world?

Chapter 1 of Destiny Uncertain by Rog Phillips holds 584 sentences, grouped into 117 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 Destiny Uncertain contain?

Chapter 1 holds 584 sentences of Destiny Uncertain, unabridged, divided into 117 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Destiny Uncertain by Rog Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 584 sentences, grouped into 117 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 Destiny Uncertain?

Work through the 117 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 117 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 Destiny Uncertain

Common questions about reading Destiny Uncertain by Rog Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Destiny Uncertain?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Destiny Uncertain is used?

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

How long does Destiny Uncertain take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Destiny Uncertain section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Destiny Uncertain 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 Destiny Uncertain

Words and structures a reader meets early in Destiny Uncertain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Destiny Uncertain, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Destiny Uncertain, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Destiny Uncertain, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.