Chapter 1 of Home is Where You Left It is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Home is Where You Left It is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery? Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy? Steve pondered these questions. His decision? That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
Chapter 1 of Home is Where You Left It is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
superlative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “[Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?”
emotionally hardened
From this reading “Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?”
qualified for by right according to law
From this reading “Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?”
past form of “ponder” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “Steve pondered these questions.”
plural of “shell” — ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.”
someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading “Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?”
Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or disloyalty against a host or ally.
From this reading “[Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?”
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.”
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 “That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.”
sporadically and infrequently
In this reading “That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.”
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 That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
superlative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
emotionally hardened
From this reading Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading His decision?
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
qualified for by right according to law
From this reading Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His decision?
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?
used to form the superlative
From this reading Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?
of or incorporating mud bricks
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
and nothing more
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
past form of “ponder” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading Steve pondered these questions.
by chance
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading Steve pondered these questions.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
plural of “shell” — ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Steve pondered these questions.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Steve pondered these questions.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?
someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading Is the most callous traitor entitled to mercy?
Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or disloyalty against a host or ally.
From this reading [Sidenote: _How black is the blackest treachery?
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
at the time that
From this reading That at times the villain should possibly be spoken of as a hero._] Only the shells of deserted mud-brick houses greeted Steve Cantwell when he reached the village.
Chapter 1 of Home is Where You Left It by Stephen Marlowe holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 457 sentences of Home is Where You Left It, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Home is Where You Left It by Stephen Marlowe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Home is Where You Left It by Stephen Marlowe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 457 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32890 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32890, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 38 minutes of reading across 92 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Home is Where You Left It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Home is Where You Left It 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 Home is Where You Left It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
