Chapter 1 of Rattle OK is here in full — 613 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Rattle OK is here in full — 613 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By HARRY WARNER, JR. What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints? But pleasing a customer should have its limits! The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas. The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
Chapter 1 of Rattle OK is here in full — 613 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/122 · 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 “collapse” — break down, literally or metaphorically
From this reading “The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.”
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?”
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading “But pleasing a customer should have its limits!”
so celebrated as to having taken on the nature of a legend
From this reading “The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.”
plural of “limit” — the greatest possible degree of something
From this reading “But pleasing a customer should have its limits!”
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading “The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.”
United States filmmaker who with his brothers founded the movie studio that produced the first talking picture (1881-1958)
From this reading “By HARRY WARNER, JR.”
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.
a large retail store organized into departments offering a variety of merchandise; commonly part of a retail chain
In this reading “What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?”
In this reading “The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.”
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 What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By HARRY WARNER, JR.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
past form of “collapse” — break down, literally or metaphorically
From this reading The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
plural of “complaint” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading By HARRY WARNER, JR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading By HARRY WARNER, JR.
so celebrated as to having taken on the nature of a legend
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
plural of “limit” — the greatest possible degree of something
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading The farm machinery manager had already collapsed.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But pleasing a customer should have its limits!
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
the act of using
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
United States filmmaker who with his brothers founded the movie studio that produced the first talking picture (1881-1958)
From this reading By HARRY WARNER, JR.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Christmas party at the Boston branch of Hartshorne-Logan was threatening to become more legendary than usual this Christmas.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What better way to use a time machine than to handle department store complaints?
Chapter 1 of Rattle OK by Harry Warner holds 613 sentences, grouped into 123 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 613 sentences of Rattle OK, unabridged, divided into 123 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Rattle OK by Harry Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 613 sentences, grouped into 123 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 123 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 123 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 Rattle OK by Harry Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51092 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51092, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 51 minutes of reading across 123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rattle OK section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Rattle OK 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 Rattle OK, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
