Chapter 1 of Martian V.F.W. is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Martian V.F.W. is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MARTIAN V. F. W. _There's nothing like a parade, I always say. Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man. Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy. He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
Chapter 1 of Martian V.F.W. is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
the gracefulness of a person or animal that is quick and nimble
From this reading “He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.”
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.”
serving to connect two grammatical constituents of identical construction
From this reading “Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.”
-ing form of “maneuver” — direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading “He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.”
imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading “MARTIAN V. F. W.”
a ceremonial procession including people marching
From this reading “_There's nothing like a parade, I always say.”
(football) the person who plays quarterback
From this reading “He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.”
possessive form of “york” — the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.”
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 _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
the gracefulness of a person or animal that is quick and nimble
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
serving to connect two grammatical constituents of identical construction
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading MARTIAN V. F. W.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
ten 10s
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
-ing form of “maneuver” — direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
imaginary people who live on the planet Mars
From this reading MARTIAN V. F. W.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
a ceremonial procession including people marching
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
(football) the person who plays quarterback
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
express in words
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
make square
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _There's nothing like a parade, I always say.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading MARTIAN V. F. W.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading MARTIAN V. F. W.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of course, I'm a Martian._ Mr. Cruthers was a busy man.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was maneuvering his two hundred pounds around Washington Square with the agility of a quarterback.
possessive form of “york” — the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Coordinating the biggest parade in New York's history is not easy.
Chapter 1 of Martian V.F.W. by G. L. Vandenburg holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 236 sentences of Martian V.F.W., unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Martian V.F.W. by G. L. Vandenburg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Martian V.F.W. by G. L. Vandenburg on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 236 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22110 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22110, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 19 minutes of reading across 48 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Martian V.F.W. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Martian V.F.W. 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 Martian V.F.W., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
