Chapter 1 of Repeat Performance is here in full — 472 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Repeat Performance is here in full — 472 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive! Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal? The pounding at the door woke me up. I groped for the light. It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
Chapter 1 of Repeat Performance is here in full — 472 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
plural of “drape” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.”
-ing form of “erase” — remove from memory or existence
From this reading “It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.”
covered with water
From this reading “It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.”
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading “I groped for the light.”
killed unlawfully
From this reading “The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!”
repeated heavy blows
From this reading “The pounding at the door woke me up.”
a practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert)
From this reading “Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “The pounding at the door woke me up.”
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 full uninterrupted rehearsal in costumes shortly before the first performance
In this reading “Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?”
In this reading “It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.”
feel searchingly
In this reading “I groped for the light.”
In this reading “The pounding at the door woke me up.”
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 Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
possessing life
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The pounding at the door woke me up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The pounding at the door woke me up.
plural of “drape” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
put on clothes
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
-ing form of “erase” — remove from memory or existence
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
covered with water
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I groped for the light.
yet to be or coming
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading I groped for the light.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I groped for the light.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading I groped for the light.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The pounding at the door woke me up.
and nothing more
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
killed unlawfully
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
repeated heavy blows
From this reading The pounding at the door woke me up.
a practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert)
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
not in physical motion
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It flooded the room, erasing the glow of the afternoon sun through the drapes.
a source of difficulty
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The pounding at the door woke me up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The little man knew Ben had been murdered; the trouble was, Ben was still alive!
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading The pounding at the door woke me up.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Could the future be wrong--or merely a dress rehearsal?
Chapter 1 of Repeat Performance by Rog Phillips holds 472 sentences, grouped into 95 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 472 sentences of Repeat Performance, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Repeat Performance by Rog Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 472 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 Repeat Performance by Rog Phillips 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 Repeat Performance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Repeat Performance 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 Repeat Performance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
