Chapter 1 of Terror out of the past is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Terror out of the past is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization. "Rod!" Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah! Look! there!" Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
Chapter 1 of Terror out of the past is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
third-person singular of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.”
not easy to believe
From this reading “Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.”
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.”
possessive form of “perry” — United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.”
past form of “probe” — question or examine thoroughly and closely
From this reading “Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.”
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “"Rod!"”
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
From this reading “Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.”
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading “Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.”
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 “Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.”
In this reading “Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.”
In this reading “Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!”
In this reading “Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
third-person singular of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
not easy to believe
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look! there!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
possessive form of “perry” — United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
past form of “probe” — question or examine thoroughly and closely
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading "Rod!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
the flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Perry Wilcox shouted above the sound of bracewires singing in the slipstream: "In the name of Mathuselah!
in a swift manner
From this reading Doctor Roderick Murgatroyd's shrewd old eyes probed swiftly along the line of Perry's pointing arm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Look! there!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perry Wilcox descends into the earth to solve the secret of an incredibly ancient civilization.
Chapter 1 of Terror out of the past by Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 178 sentences of Terror out of the past, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Terror out of the past by Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Terror out of the past by Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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 Terror out of the past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Terror out of the past 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 Terror out of the past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
