Chapter 1 of Gray Lensman is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Gray Lensman is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By E. E. SMITH, Ph. D. This is not, strictly speaking, a biography. It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that. Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
Chapter 1 of Gray Lensman is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an account of the series of events making up a person's life
From this reading “This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.”
including all or everything
From this reading “It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.”
the aggregate of past events
From this reading “Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.”
small in range or scope
From this reading “Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.”
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading “Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.”
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading “Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “By E. E. SMITH, Ph.”
restricted to something
From this reading “This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
an account of the series of events making up a person's life
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By E. E. SMITH, Ph.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
including all or everything
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading D.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading By E. E. SMITH, Ph.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
small in range or scope
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
(from potential of Hydrogen) the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration in gram atoms per liter
From this reading By E. E. SMITH, Ph.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Nor, since of necessity it must be limited, both in length and in scope, can it be called a history.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading By E. E. SMITH, Ph.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
restricted to something
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is not, strictly speaking, a biography.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is not, it cannot be, comprehensive enough to be called that.
Chapter 1 of Gray Lensman by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of Gray Lensman, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Gray Lensman by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Gray Lensman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
