Chapter 4 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"There isn't going to be any book," Malone said. She shook her head. "That's a shame," she said. "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting." "X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."
Chapter 4 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “"I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “"There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.”
English businessman who created a retail chain (1888-1964)
From this reading “"X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."”
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading “"X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “"That's a shame," she said.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “She shook her head.”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “"I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “"X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."”
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 “"I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."”
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's a shame," she said.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
the act of departing
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She shook her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She shook her head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
English businessman who created a retail chain (1888-1964)
From this reading "X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading "X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading "That's a shame," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She shook her head.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading She shook her head.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a shame," she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "X," Malone said at random, "marks the spot."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There isn't going to be any book," Malone said.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "I've always wanted to be a Miss X. It sounds exciting."
Chapter 4 of Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 4 holds 403 sentences of Occasion ... for Disaster, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 4 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 Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6068 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30434 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30434, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 505 minutes of reading across 1214 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Occasion ... for Disaster section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Occasion ... for Disaster 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 Occasion ... for Disaster, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
