Chapter 1 of Prime Difference is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Prime Difference is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be? I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife. Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that. Marriage is great. It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
Chapter 1 of Prime Difference is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
an organization founded and united for a specific purpose
From this reading “It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.”
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
From this reading “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
plural of “problem” — a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?”
plural of “reach” — the limits within which something can be effective
From this reading “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading “Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?”
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 “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
In this reading “Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?”
In this reading “Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.”
In this reading “I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.”
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 I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
being ten more than thirty
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Marriage is great.
an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
ten 10s
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
an organization founded and united for a specific purpose
From this reading It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Marriage is great.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
the force of workers available
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
on one occasion
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
for each
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
plural of “problem” — a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
plural of “reach” — the limits within which something can be effective
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
endowed with or exhibiting great bodily or mental health
From this reading It's a good old red-blooded American Institution.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
a special situation
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Understand now--I've got nothing against marriage or any thing like that.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
at the time that
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I suppose that every guy reaches a point once in his lifetime when he gets one hundred and forty per cent fed up with his wife.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?
Chapter 1 of Prime Difference by Alan Edward Nourse holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Prime Difference, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Prime Difference by Alan Edward Nourse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Prime Difference by Alan Edward Nourse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51321 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51321, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 35 minutes of reading across 85 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prime Difference section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Prime Difference 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 Prime Difference, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
