Chapter 1 of The Almost-Men is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Almost-Men is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY IRVING E. COX, JR. _All learning must begin with a need. And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake. Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy. We have to leave."
Chapter 1 of The Almost-Men is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
bring under control by force or authority
From this reading “And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.”
either of two related enzymes that control the production of prostaglandins and are blocked by aspirin
From this reading “BY IRVING E. COX, JR.”
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.”
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading “And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.”
promote the growth of
From this reading “Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.”
United States writer remembered for his stories (1783-1859)
From this reading “BY IRVING E. COX, JR.”
with great urgency
From this reading “Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.”
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.”
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.
a man who is a foster parent
In this reading “Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.”
rise to one's feet
In this reading “Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.”
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 _All learning must begin with a need.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading _All learning must begin with a need.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading _All learning must begin with a need.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
a youthful male person
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY IRVING E. COX, JR.
bring under control by force or authority
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
either of two related enzymes that control the production of prostaglandins and are blocked by aspirin
From this reading BY IRVING E. COX, JR.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading BY IRVING E. COX, JR.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
promote the growth of
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
set up or found
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have to leave."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
United States writer remembered for his stories (1783-1859)
From this reading BY IRVING E. COX, JR.
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading BY IRVING E. COX, JR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading _All learning must begin with a need.
go away from a place
From this reading We have to leave."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading _All learning must begin with a need.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading _All learning must begin with a need.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
above and across; more than
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We have to leave."
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
with great urgency
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have to leave."
at the time that
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading Lanny's foster father was bent over him, whispering urgently, "Get up, boy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _All learning must begin with a need.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading And when the tried old ideas won't work for a people--won't conquer defeat and despair--a new way of thinking must be found...._ Hands shook at his shoulder, dragging him awake.
Chapter 1 of The Almost-Men by Irving E., Jr. Cox holds 441 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.
Chapter 1 holds 441 sentences of The Almost-Men, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Almost-Men by Irving E., Jr. Cox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 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.
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.
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 The Almost-Men by Irving E., Jr. Cox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1316 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59356, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 109 minutes of reading across 264 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Almost-Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Almost-Men 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 The Almost-Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
