Chapter 1 of Jack of No Trades is here in full — 460 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 Jack of No Trades is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category. Then we discovered Willy himself. Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.
Chapter 1 of Jack of No Trades is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
surprising greatly
From this reading “This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.”
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading “_First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.”
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
past form of “postulate” — maintain or assert
From this reading “Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.”
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
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 “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.
surprising greatly
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then we discovered Willy himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
past form of “postulate” — maintain or assert
From this reading Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
restored to a new condition
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then we discovered Willy himself.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading Then we data-researched, and postulated a theory.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This etext was produced from Amazing Stories August 1960.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _First we discovered the Willy Maloon category.
Chapter 1 of Jack of No Trades by Charles Cottrell holds 460 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 460 sentences of Jack of No Trades, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Jack of No Trades by Charles Cottrell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 460 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 Jack of No Trades by Charles Cottrell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 920 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 76 minutes of reading across 184 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jack of No Trades section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Jack of No Trades 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 Jack of No Trades, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
