Chapter 1 of Jabberwock, Beware! is here in full — 190 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 Jabberwock, Beware! is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JABBERWOCK, BEWARE! The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel. So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!... The Security Council was in emergency session. The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
Chapter 1 of Jabberwock, Beware! is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 “alien” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading “The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.”
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading “JABBERWOCK, BEWARE!”
plural of “conscience” — motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading “The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.”
plural of “delegate” — a person appointed or elected to represent others
From this reading “The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.”
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading “The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.”
a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
From this reading “The Security Council was in emergency session.”
a meeting for execution of a group's functions
From this reading “The Security Council was in emergency session.”
a state of surviving; remaining alive
From this reading “The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.”
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 “The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.”
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.
plural of “alien” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
From this reading JABBERWOCK, BEWARE!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
plural of “conscience” — motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading The Security Council was in emergency session.
plural of “delegate” — a person appointed or elected to represent others
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
From this reading The Security Council was in emergency session.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JABBERWOCK, BEWARE!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
represented accurately or precisely
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading The Security Council was in emergency session.
a meeting for execution of a group's functions
From this reading The Security Council was in emergency session.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
a state of surviving; remaining alive
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The aliens offered Earth one chance for survival: beat them in an intellectual duel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Security Council was in emergency session.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading So Joe Waters rose to the task, grim--and drunk!...
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The four delegates would have had easier consciences had more nations been represented, but it was hard to travel now.
Chapter 1 of Jabberwock, Beware! by Richard A. Sternbach holds 190 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 190 sentences of Jabberwock, Beware!, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Jabberwock, Beware! by Richard A. Sternbach exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 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 Jabberwock, Beware! by Richard A. Sternbach 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 Jabberwock, Beware! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Jabberwock, Beware! 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 Jabberwock, Beware!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
