Chapter 1 of Example is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Example is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner. From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!" He smiled grimly. Yes, he knew what to do.... The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
Chapter 1 of Example is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading “From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"”
-ing form of “hurtle” — move with or as if with a rushing sound
From this reading “Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.”
of the color of black ink
From this reading “Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.”
(baseball) a hit that flies straight out from the batter
From this reading “Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.”
wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred
From this reading “Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.”
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading “Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.”
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading “The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.”
a plane figure bounded by two radii and the included arc of a circle
From this reading “The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.”
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 “He smiled grimly.”
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 From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
an officer in command of a military unit
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading He smiled grimly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He smiled grimly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
-ing form of “hurtle” — move with or as if with a rushing sound
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
of the color of black ink
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Yes, he knew what to do....
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
apprehended with certainty
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
(baseball) a hit that flies straight out from the batter
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
not any; not one
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
express in words
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
a plane figure bounded by two radii and the included arc of a circle
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He smiled grimly.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Malevolent death reared out of inky space before the hurtling liner.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, he knew what to do....
but in spite of that
From this reading The Fifth Sector Commander was known as a rigid man, that was true, and yet no one could say exactly how rigid.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading From it a frantic voice reached Commander Gray--"You know what to do!"
Chapter 1 of Example by Tom Pace holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 188 sentences of Example, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Example by Tom Pace exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Example by Tom Pace on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 15 minutes of reading across 38 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Example section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Example 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 Example, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
