Chapter I
Chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DOMIN. Do you mind if I do? HELENA. Certainly not. BUSMAN.
R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
DOMIN.
Do
you
mind
if
I
do?
HELENA.
Certainly
not.
BUSMAN.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
DOMIN.
Line 2
Do
you
mind
if
I
do?
/duː juː maɪnd ɪf aɪ duː/
Line 3
HELENA.
/ˈhelənə/
Line 4
Certainly
not.
/ˈsɜːrtənli nɑːt/
Line 5
BUSMAN.
Learner Dictionary
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.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly not.”
helena
noun
US /ˈhelənə/
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading “HELENA.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “Do you mind if I do?”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 10
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.
BUSMANnoun
someone who drives a bus
From this reading BUSMAN.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Certainly not.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you mind if I do?
DOMIN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DOMIN.
HELENAnounUS /ˈhelənə/
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading HELENA.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Do you mind if I do?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Do you mind if I do?
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Do you mind if I do?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Certainly not.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you mind if I do?
Chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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.
What does chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) contain?
Chapter 1 holds 445 sentences of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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.
How do I study chapter 1 of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)?
Work through the 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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.
Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
Common questions about reading R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)?
Yes. All 2212 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #59112, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) take to read?
About 184 minutes of reading across 443 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) section by section
How to work through R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
-
Open a chapter
Choose one of the 5 chapters of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) to begin.
-
Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
-
Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
Words and structures a reader meets early in R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Domin
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Helena
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Certainly
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Busman
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.