Chapter 1 of Seven-Day Terror is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Seven-Day Terror is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Things just vanished. It was simple. As a matter of fact, it was child's play! "Is there anything you want to make disappear?" Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.
Chapter 1 of Seven-Day Terror is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “As a matter of fact, it was child's play!”
a closed carriage with four wheels and seats for four passengers
From this reading “Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.”
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “"Is there anything you want to make disappear?"”
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “As a matter of fact, it was child's play!”
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “As a matter of fact, it was child's play!”
participate in games or sport
From this reading “As a matter of fact, it was child's play!”
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “It was simple.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “Things just vanished.”
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.
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 As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
any thing at all
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
a closed carriage with four wheels and seats for four passengers
From this reading Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was simple.
and nothing more
From this reading Things just vanished.
engage in
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
participate in games or sport
From this reading As a matter of fact, it was child's play!
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading It was simple.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Things just vanished.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
having passed out of existence
From this reading Things just vanished.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was simple.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clarence Willoughby asked his mother.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Is there anything you want to make disappear?"
Chapter 1 of Seven-Day Terror by R. A. Lafferty holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 223 sentences of Seven-Day Terror, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Seven-Day Terror by R. A. Lafferty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Seven-Day Terror by R. A. Lafferty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 223 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61128, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 18 minutes of reading across 45 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seven-Day Terror section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Seven-Day Terror 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 Seven-Day Terror, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
