Chapter 1 of Down to Earth is here in full — 534 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Down to Earth is here in full — 534 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Whatever goes up must come down. Including moon rockets. But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ... Gino ... help me! For God's sake, do something!"
Chapter 1 of Down to Earth is here in full — 534 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/106 · 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.
possessive form of “god” — 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 “For God's sake, do something!"”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “_Whatever goes up must come down.”
-ing form of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading “Including moon rockets.”
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading “But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “Including moon rockets.”
plural of “rocket” — any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading “Including moon rockets.”
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading “For God's sake, do something!"”
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
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.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “_Whatever goes up must come down.”
move upward
In this reading “_Whatever goes up must come down.”
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 introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _Whatever goes up must come down.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading For God's sake, do something!"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading _Whatever goes up must come down.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For God's sake, do something!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
possessive form of “god” — 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 For God's sake, do something!"
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading _Whatever goes up must come down.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Gino ... help me!
-ing form of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading Including moon rockets.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Gino ... help me!
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Including moon rockets.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading _Whatever goes up must come down.
not any; not one
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
plural of “rocket” — any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading Including moon rockets.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading For God's sake, do something!"
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
a thing, without saying which
From this reading For God's sake, do something!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading _Whatever goes up must come down.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But there's no law saying what they must come down to._ "Gino ...
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading _Whatever goes up must come down.
Chapter 1 of Down to Earth by Harry Harrison holds 534 sentences, grouped into 107 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 534 sentences of Down to Earth, unabridged, divided into 107 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Down to Earth by Harry Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 534 sentences, grouped into 107 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 107 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 107 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 Down to Earth by Harry Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 534 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72431 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72431, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 44 minutes of reading across 107 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down to Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Down to Earth 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 Down to Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
