Chapter 1 of Flight From Time is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Flight From Time is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing. Malenson had all the time in the cosmos. Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time. A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing. Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
Chapter 1 of Flight From Time is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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.
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading “A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.”
The universe seen as a well-ordered whole governed by rational nature.
From this reading “Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.”
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading “A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.”
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading “Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.”
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading “Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.”
the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence
From this reading “Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.”
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading “Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.”
the time when something happens
From this reading “A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.”
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 “Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.”
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 Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
in the past
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
(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 Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
The universe seen as a well-ordered whole governed by rational nature.
From this reading Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The meteor-smashed clock at first meant nothing.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
a special situation
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Malenson had all the time in the cosmos.
the time when something happens
From this reading A long career of cutting corners had taught Malenson the importance of timing.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Too late, he discovered there can be such a thing as too much time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Time, he had long ago concluded, was the fabric from which were cut the garments of poverty or greatness.
Chapter 1 of Flight From Time by Alfred Coppel holds 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 292 sentences of Flight From Time, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Flight From Time by Alfred Coppel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Flight From Time by Alfred Coppel 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 Flight From Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Flight From Time 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 Flight From Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
