Chapter 1 of Miracle is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Miracle is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested. "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times." "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed. "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?" "Of course."
Chapter 1 of Miracle is here in full — 337 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
a scientist who specializes in chemistry
From this reading “"But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.”
a disorderly outburst or tumult
From this reading “"I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.”
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading “"I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.”
of or relating to the study of history
From this reading “"Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “"I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “"But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.”
plural of “record” — anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading “"Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"”
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading “"But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.”
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 “"Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."”
as might be expected
In this reading “"Of course."”
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 "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
a scientist who specializes in chemistry
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
a disorderly outburst or tumult
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course."
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
yet to be or coming
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
of or relating to the study of history
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
the time that has elapsed
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
by chance
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
plural of “record” — anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I should think they'd have created quite a commotion," the lawyer observed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "Someone from our future may have gone into the past many times."
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Wouldn't we have heard of it from our historical records?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But how can you possibly know that time traveling has never been done?" the chemist protested.
Chapter 1 of Miracle by Ray Cummings holds 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 337 sentences of Miracle, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Miracle by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 337 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 Miracle by Ray Cummings 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 Miracle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Miracle 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 Miracle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
