Chapter 1 of Phoenix is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Phoenix is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together. Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived. He was aware. He was everything in his world. He was....
Chapter 1 of Phoenix is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading “He was aware.”
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading “Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.”
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading “_From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.”
the act of giving
From this reading “_From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.”
a high place
From this reading “Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.”
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading “Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.”
an insignificant place
From this reading “_From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.”
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading “Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.”
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.
anew
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading He was aware.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading He was everything in his world.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
the act of giving
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
a high place
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was everything in his world.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
an insignificant place
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Now he summoned them again, not knowing the depths--or heights--of his power._ He lived.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading _From nowhere had come the flames ... giving him life and death together.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was aware.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading He was everything in his world.
Chapter 1 of Phoenix by Ted White holds 252 sentences, grouped into 51 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 252 sentences of Phoenix, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Phoenix by Ted White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 252 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Phoenix by Ted White 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 Phoenix section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Phoenix 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 Phoenix, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
