Chapter 1 of Divinity is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Divinity is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Bradley had one fear in his life. He had to escape regeneration. To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god! Bradley seemed to have escaped regeneration. Now he had only death to worry about.
Chapter 1 of Divinity is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998)
From this reading “Bradley had one fear in his life.”
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading “To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “He had to escape regeneration.”
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading “Bradley seemed to have escaped regeneration.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!”
(biology) growth anew of lost tissue or destroyed parts or organs
From this reading “He had to escape regeneration.”
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “Now he had only death to worry about.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Now he had only death to worry about.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998)
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Now he had only death to worry about.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
the act of escaping physically
From this reading He had to escape regeneration.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading Bradley seemed to have escaped regeneration.
divisible by two
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Bradley seemed to have escaped regeneration.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had to escape regeneration.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he had only death to worry about.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Bradley had one fear in his life.
and nothing more
From this reading Now he had only death to worry about.
(biology) growth anew of lost tissue or destroyed parts or organs
From this reading He had to escape regeneration.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Bradley seemed to have escaped regeneration.
carry out
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
in spite of the fact that
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had to escape regeneration.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading Now he had only death to worry about.
Chapter 1 of Divinity by Joseph Samachson holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of Divinity, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Divinity by Joseph Samachson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Divinity by Joseph Samachson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 37 minutes of reading across 90 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Divinity section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Divinity 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 Divinity, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
