Chapter 1 of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The place called Sodom was bad enough. But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker. He wasn't qualified. He couldn't read a map. He didn't know what a map was.
Chapter 1 of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
a periodic count of the population
From this reading “But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.”
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading “But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.”
make a map of; show or establish the features of details of
From this reading “He couldn't read a map.”
meeting the proper standards and requirements and training for an office or position or task
From this reading “He wasn't qualified.”
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading “But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.”
any location known for vice and corruption
From this reading “_The place called Sodom was bad enough.”
one who accepts an offer
From this reading “But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.”
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 But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
a periodic count of the population
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't read a map.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn't know what a map was.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
divisible by two
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wasn't qualified.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He didn't know what a map was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
make a map of; show or establish the features of details of
From this reading He couldn't read a map.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
meeting the proper standards and requirements and training for an office or position or task
From this reading He wasn't qualified.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading He couldn't read a map.
precisely, exactly
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
any location known for vice and corruption
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
one who accepts an offer
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _The place called Sodom was bad enough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wasn't qualified.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He didn't know what a map was.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading But right down the road was the other town--and that was even worse!_ Manuel shouldn't have been employed as a census taker.
Chapter 1 of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas by R. A. Lafferty holds 276 sentences, grouped into 56 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 276 sentences of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas by R. A. Lafferty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 276 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas by R. A. Lafferty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 276 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23161 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23161, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 23 minutes of reading across 56 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas 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 Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
