Chapter 11 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Malone looked thoughtful and concerned. "Things are certainly bad," he said. "But how's money going to make things any better?" Palveri almost dropped his cigar. Malone watched it lovingly.
Chapter 11 of Occasion ... for Disaster is here in full — 402 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.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Things are certainly bad," he said.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Palveri almost dropped his cigar.”
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading “Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “Palveri almost dropped his cigar.”
with fondness; with love
From this reading “Malone watched it lovingly.”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.”
having intellectual depth
From this reading “Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.”
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading “Malone watched it lovingly.”
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 “Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.”
In this reading “"But how's money going to make things any better?"”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Palveri almost dropped his cigar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Things are certainly bad," he said.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Things are certainly bad," he said.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Things are certainly bad," he said.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Palveri almost dropped his cigar.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Palveri almost dropped his cigar.
the act of departing
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Things are certainly bad," he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Palveri almost dropped his cigar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Malone watched it lovingly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.
with fondness; with love
From this reading Malone watched it lovingly.
engage in
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Palveri almost dropped his cigar.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Things are certainly bad," he said.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Things are certainly bad," he said.
having intellectual depth
From this reading Malone looked thoughtful and concerned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But how's money going to make things any better?"
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Malone watched it lovingly.
Chapter 11 of Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett holds 402 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 11 holds 402 sentences of Occasion ... for Disaster, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Occasion ... for Disaster by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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 11 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.
