Chapter 10 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly. "Bob?" the cabbie said. "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on. Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you. Believe me, he knows."
Chapter 10 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “"Bob?" the cabbie said.”
one or the other of two
From this reading “"He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.”
plural of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading “Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “"He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “"Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.”
two times
From this reading “Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.”
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.
live in the house where one works
In this reading “Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Believe me, he knows."
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "Bob?" the cabbie said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Bob?" the cabbie said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
one or the other of two
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
the act of departing
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
plural of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Believe me, he knows."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
express in words
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
express in words
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Bob?" the cabbie said.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
in a weary manner
From this reading "He didn't know either," Malone said tiredly.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
two times
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, Bob knows more about this town than guys lived in it twice as long, I'll tell you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Say, Mister, you must be new here for sure, if you say Bob wouldn't know what was going on.
Chapter 10 of Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 10 holds 394 sentences of Occasion ... for Disaster, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 10 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.
