Chapter 1 of Dr. Kometevsky's Day is here in full — 493 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Dr. Kometevsky's Day is here in full — 493 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Before science, there was superstition. After science, there will be ... what? The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all! "But it's all predicted here! It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
Chapter 1 of Dr. Kometevsky's Day is here in full — 493 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!”
a period of 100 years
From this reading “It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."”
plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."”
past form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading “"But it's all predicted here!”
shuffling again
From this reading “It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."”
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading “Before science, there was superstition.”
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
From this reading “The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!”
an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
From this reading “Before science, there was superstition.”
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.
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.
later than; following
From this reading After science, there will be ... what?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading After science, there will be ... what?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before science, there was superstition.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But it's all predicted here!
a period of 100 years
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
divisible by two
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "But it's all predicted here!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But it's all predicted here!
used to form the superlative
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
past form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading "But it's all predicted here!
shuffling again
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading Before science, there was superstition.
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
From this reading Before science, there was superstition.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The biggest, most staggering, MOST FINAL fact of them all!
in or at that place or location
From this reading Before science, there was superstition.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It even names this century for the next reshuffling of the planets."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Before science, there was superstition.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading After science, there will be ... what?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading After science, there will be ... what?
Chapter 1 of Dr. Kometevsky's Day by Fritz Leiber holds 493 sentences, grouped into 99 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 493 sentences of Dr. Kometevsky's Day, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Dr. Kometevsky's Day by Fritz Leiber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 493 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Dr. Kometevsky's Day by Fritz Leiber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 493 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51353 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51353, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 41 minutes of reading across 99 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dr. Kometevsky's Day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Dr. Kometevsky's Day 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 Dr. Kometevsky's Day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
