Chapter 1 of Ribbon in the sky is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ribbon in the sky is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed. If the second, he could still be in a fix. But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive. He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside. "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
Chapter 1 of Ribbon in the sky is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 25/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 121–125
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 long trough for feeding cattle
From this reading “He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.”
make denser, stronger, or purer
From this reading “He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “"_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “If the second, he could still be in a fix.”
drive or work too hard
From this reading “But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.”
restricted to something
From this reading “"_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.”
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading “"_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.”
the act of harassing someone
From this reading “But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.”
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.
institute, enact, or establish
In this reading “He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.”
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 If the second, he could still be in a fix.
anew
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
on or to one side
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
a long trough for feeding cattle
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
make denser, stronger, or purer
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If the second, he could still be in a fix.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading If the second, he could still be in a fix.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If the second, he could still be in a fix.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If the second, he could still be in a fix.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
set down according to a plan
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
not any; not one
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
drive or work too hard
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
restricted to something
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "_Human error, moreover_," he read, "_is never purely random.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading If the second, he could still be in a fix.
not in physical motion
From this reading If the second, he could still be in a fix.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He lay down on his bunk and tried to concentrate again on the book he'd laid aside.
precisely as stated
From this reading If the first, he'd be very bad off indeed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
during the time that
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
the act of harassing someone
From this reading But there was no point in worrying while in overdrive.
Chapter 1 of Ribbon in the sky by Murray Leinster holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Ribbon in the sky, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Ribbon in the sky by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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.
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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 Ribbon in the sky section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Ribbon in the sky, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
