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The Big Time
The Big Time

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Big Time is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Fritz Leiber • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Big Time
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.
There must be ghosts all over the world.
They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.
--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.
"Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Big Time

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Big Time is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.
/weˈnevər aɪ teɪk ʌp ə ˈnuːzpeɪpər ənd red ɪt aɪ ˈfænsi aɪ siː ɡoʊsts ˈkriːpɪŋ bɪˈtwiːn ðə laɪnz/
Line 2
There must be ghosts all over the world.
/ðer mʌst biː ɡoʊsts ɔːl ˈoʊvər ðə wɜːrld/
Line 3
They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.
/ðeɪ mʌst biː æz ˈkaʊntləs æz ðə ɡreɪnz ʌv ðə sændz ɪt siːmz tuː miː/
Line 4
--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.
Line 5
"Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.
/lʊk juː ˈmæstərz ðɪs ɪz ə rɪˌkuːpərˈeɪʃən ˈsteɪʃən ənd aɪ æm ˈrʌnɪŋ ɪt æz sʌtʃ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

countless adjective US /ˈkaʊntləs/

too numerous to be counted

From this reading “They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Elizabethan noun US /ˌelɪzəˈbiːθən/

a person who lived during the reign of Elizabeth I

From this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fists noun US /fɪsts/

plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)

From this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grains noun US /ɡreɪnz/

plural of “grain” — a relatively small granular particle of a substance

From this reading “They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hips noun US /hɪps/

plural of “hip” — either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh

From this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Ibsen noun US /ˈɪbsən/

realistic Norwegian author who wrote plays on social and political themes (1828-1906)

From this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
insists verb US /ˌɪnˈsɪsts/

third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Recuperation noun US /rɪˌkuːpərˈeɪʃən/

gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury

From this reading “"Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

INSISTS ON verb + particle counted as “insist on”

In this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

19,165 times in 225,867 chapters
too hard adverb + adjective

In this reading “--Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.”

6,466 times in 225,867 chapters
take up verb + adjective

pursue or resume

In this reading “Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.”

48,411 times in 225,867 chapters
between the lines preposition + article + noun counted as “between … line”

In this reading “Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.”

1,122 times in 225,867 chapters
over the world preposition + article + noun counted as “over … world”

In this reading “There must be ghosts all over the world.”

3,477 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 69

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 There must be ghosts all over the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading There must be ghosts all over the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
countlessadjectiveUS /ˈkaʊntləs/

too numerous to be counted

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/

a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ElizabethannounUS /ˌelɪzəˈbiːθən/

a person who lived during the reign of Elizabeth I

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fistsnounUS /fɪsts/

plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GHOSTGIRLS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Pending verification
ghostsnounUS /ɡoʊsts/

plural of “ghost” — a mental representation of some haunting experience

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grainsnounUS /ɡreɪnz/

plural of “grain” — a relatively small granular particle of a substance

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hardadjectiveUS /hɑːrd/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hipsnounUS /hɪps/

plural of “hip” — either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IbsennounUS /ˈɪbsən/

realistic Norwegian author who wrote plays on social and political themes (1828-1906)

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
INSISTSverbUS /ˌɪnˈsɪsts/

third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lawnounUS /lɔː/

the collection of rules imposed by authority

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
linesnounUS /laɪnz/

plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lotnounUS /lɑːt/

(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mastersnounUS /ˈmæstərz/

United States poet (1869-1950)

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading There must be ghosts all over the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nervousadjectiveUS /ˈnɜːrvəs/

easily agitated

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
newspapernounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading There must be ghosts all over the world.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
playingnounUS /ˈpleɪɪŋ/

the act of playing a musical instrument

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RecuperationnounUS /rɪˌkuːpərˈeɪʃən/

gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
runningadjectiveUS /ˈrʌnɪŋ/

(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sandsnounUS /sændz/

the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seemsverbUS /siːmz/

third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SID

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Pending verification
StationnounUS /ˈsteɪʃən/

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There must be ghosts all over the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
who'd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Ibsen SID INSISTS ON GHOSTGIRLS My Elizabethan boy friend put his fists on his hips and laid down the law to us as if we were a lot of nervous children who'd been playing too hard.

Pending verification
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading There must be ghosts all over the world.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Look you, masters, this is a Recuperation Station and I am running it as such.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 5 of The Big Time by Fritz Leiber holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Big Time contain?

Chapter 5 holds 51 sentences of The Big Time, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Big Time by Fritz Leiber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Big Time?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

Questions about reading The Big Time

Common questions about reading The Big Time by Fritz Leiber on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Big Time?

Yes. All 1875 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32256 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Big Time is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #32256, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Big Time take to read?

About 156 minutes of reading across 375 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Big Time section by section

How to work through The Big Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Big Time to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Big Time

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Big Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Can't
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
There's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
On--for
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Snakes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Big Time; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.