Chapter 1 of Patch is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Patch is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships. Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick. Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up.... The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in. "Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.
Chapter 1 of Patch is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
past form of “boost” — increase
From this reading “Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.”
United States inventor and manufacturer who developed the safety razor (1855-1932)
From this reading “Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.”
a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
From this reading “Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.”
a Siren of German legend who lured boatmen in the Rhine to destruction
From this reading “"Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.”
wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals
From this reading “Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....”
plural of “pilot” — someone who is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight
From this reading “Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.”
past form of “roost” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading “Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.”
not in physical motion
From this reading “The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
past form of “boost” — increase
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading "Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.
power to direct or determine
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.
United States inventor and manufacturer who developed the safety razor (1855-1932)
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading "Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
a Siren of German legend who lured boatmen in the Rhine to destruction
From this reading "Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.
wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
plural of “pilot” — someone who is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
bulge outward
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
past form of “predict” — make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
past form of “roost” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
with low volume
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
not in physical motion
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Lorelei calling Venusport for landing.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sooner or later, Pop predicted, something was gonna louse up....
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old pilots like Pop Gillette weren't needed any more to run the big ships.
at the time that
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The wall speaker in the control tower was crackling softly with space static when the voice first cut in.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Nowadays you were boosted and roosted by the grace of Gimmick.
Chapter 1 of Patch by William Shedenhelm holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of Patch, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Patch by William Shedenhelm exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Patch by William Shedenhelm on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 220 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63934 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63934, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 18 minutes of reading across 44 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Patch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Patch 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 Patch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
