Chapter 1 of Pursuit is here in full — 491 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Pursuit is here in full — 491 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then the fear began, mounting slowly. He jerked around quickly, scanning the street. For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop. Probably someone else. The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
Chapter 1 of Pursuit is here in full — 491 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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 “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.”
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.”
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading “The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.”
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading “Then the fear began, mounting slowly.”
the process of showing signs of life
From this reading “The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.”
the process of translating photographs into a digital form that can be recognized by a computer
From this reading “He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Probably someone else.”
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 “For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.”
In this reading “For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.”
In this reading “For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.”
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 For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then the fear began, mounting slowly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Probably someone else.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Then the fear began, mounting slowly.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
set up or found
From this reading The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading Then the fear began, mounting slowly.
and nothing more
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Probably someone else.
the process of showing signs of life
From this reading The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
with speed
From this reading He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.
cut with a saw
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
the process of translating photographs into a digital form that can be recognized by a computer
From this reading He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Then the fear began, mounting slowly.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Probably someone else.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The fear mounted a little, and he found his steps quickening.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He jerked around quickly, scanning the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then the fear began, mounting slowly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the fear began, mounting slowly.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a second, he thought he saw the slim figure, but it was only a back turned to him, and it disappeared into a barber-shop.
Chapter 1 of Pursuit by Lester Del Rey holds 491 sentences, grouped into 99 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 491 sentences of Pursuit, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Pursuit by Lester Del Rey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 491 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Pursuit by Lester Del Rey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 976 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31587 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31587, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 196 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pursuit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Pursuit 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 Pursuit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
