Chapter 1 of Perfect Companion is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Perfect Companion is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large. About the size of a large dog. It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive. In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life. Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.
Chapter 1 of Perfect Companion is here in full — 393 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.
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading “If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.”
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading “It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.”
involved in a kind of operation
From this reading “It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.”
a companion at play
From this reading “If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.”
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading “If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.”
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading “About the size of a large dog.”
United States psychologist and psychophysicist who proposed Stevens' power law to replace Fechner's law (1906-1973)
From this reading “In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.”
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading “Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.”
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.
table on which the patient lies during a surgical operation
In this reading “It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.”
In this reading “About the size of a large dog.”
In this reading “In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.”
In this reading “It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.”
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 If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About the size of a large dog.
possessing life
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
for the reason that
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading About the size of a large dog.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading About the size of a large dog.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
involved in a kind of operation
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
a companion at play
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading About the size of a large dog.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.
United States psychologist and psychophysicist who proposed Stevens' power law to replace Fechner's law (1906-1973)
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading It lay on its metallic side on the operating table, and it was alive.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now, Craig stroked that metallic surface and smiled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
a special situation
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading In its own way, it lived ... because Craig Stevens had given it life.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If the devil had been searching for a playmate, this thing Craig had created would have been the The thing was not large.
Chapter 1 of Perfect Companion by John McGreevey holds 393 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 1 holds 393 sentences of Perfect Companion, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Perfect Companion by John McGreevey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 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 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 Perfect Companion by John McGreevey 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 Perfect Companion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Perfect Companion 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 Perfect Companion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
