Chapter 1 of Static is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Static is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch. “I steered. Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine. Eta sat near the bow, staring steadily upriver. She was a weird creature, that girl.
Chapter 1 of Static is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 52/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 256–260
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 small house with a single story
From this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
set up or found
From this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
From this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
possessive form of “station” — a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
past form of “steer” — direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading ““I steered.”
toward the source or against the current
From this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
From this reading “She was a weird creature, that girl.”
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.
In this reading “Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.”
In this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
In this reading “We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.”
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 We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Eta sat near the bow, staring steadily upriver.
a small house with a single story
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading She was a weird creature, that girl.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
a terrorist organization organized in 1959 by student activists who were dissatisfied with the moderate nationalism of the traditional Basque party; want to create an independent homeland in Spain's western Pyrenees
From this reading Eta sat near the bow, staring steadily upriver.
a young female
From this reading She was a weird creature, that girl.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
set up or found
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
used to form the superlative
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Eta sat near the bow, staring steadily upriver.
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was a weird creature, that girl.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Eta sat near the bow, staring steadily upriver.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
possessive form of “station” — a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading Eta sat near the bow, staring steadily upriver.
past form of “steer” — direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading “I steered.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was a weird creature, that girl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
toward the source or against the current
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was a weird creature, that girl.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We locked the bungalow and store, placed things in charge of the most trusted negroes--a poor policy, but the best I could do, and started upriver in the station’s motor launch.
suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
From this reading She was a weird creature, that girl.
in or at the place that
From this reading Markley sat in the middle where he watched the engine.
Chapter 1 of Static by Wallace West holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Static, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Static by Wallace West exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Static by Wallace West on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73175 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73175, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 33 minutes of reading across 80 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Static section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Static 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 Static, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
