Chapter 1 of Elegy is here in full — 510 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Elegy is here in full — 510 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?" "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city." "A city?" "Yes sir." Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
Chapter 1 of Elegy is here in full — 510 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/102 · 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.
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading “[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"”
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.”
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading “[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"”
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading “[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.”
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading “"I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"”
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading “[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “[Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"”
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 [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
not any; not one
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
and nothing more
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "I said, sir, that Mr. Friden said, sir, that he sees a city."
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Captain Webber rubbed the back of his hand along his cheek.
in or at the place that
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes sir."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [Sidenote: It was an impossible situation: an asteroid in space where no asteroid should have been--with a city that could only have existed back on Earth!] "Would you mind repeating that?"
Chapter 1 of Elegy by Charles Beaumont holds 510 sentences, grouped into 102 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 510 sentences of Elegy, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Elegy by Charles Beaumont exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 510 sentences, grouped into 102 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 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 102 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 Elegy by Charles Beaumont on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elegy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Elegy 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 Elegy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
