Chapter 1 of End as a Hero is here in full — 563 sentences across 113 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of End as a Hero is here in full — 563 sentences across 113 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war. It would mean instant victory--but for whom? In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on. And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me. I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
Chapter 1 of End as a Hero is here in full — 563 sentences across 113 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/112 · 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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.”
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading “And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.”
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading “I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.”
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading “Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.”
the act of swimming
From this reading “In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.”
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading “It would mean instant victory--but for whom?”
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
From this reading “Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.”
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.
In this reading “Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.”
run away from confinement
In this reading “I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.”
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 In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
the act of burning something
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
start firing a weapon
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
cause to move by striking
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
not in physical motion
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
the act of swimming
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And then I was awake--and the fire was still there, fiercely burning at me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried to move to get away from the flames, and then the real pain hit me.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Granthan's mission was the most vital of the war.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
a Caucasian
From this reading In the dream I was swimming in a river of white fire and the dream went on and on.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would mean instant victory--but for whom?
Chapter 1 of End as a Hero by Keith Laumer holds 563 sentences, grouped into 113 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 563 sentences of End as a Hero, unabridged, divided into 113 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of End as a Hero by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 563 sentences, grouped into 113 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 113 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 113 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 End as a Hero by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1109 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51267 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51267, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 92 minutes of reading across 222 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through End as a Hero section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of End as a Hero 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 End as a Hero, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
