Chapter 1 of The Blue Star is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Blue Star is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger. “I don’t agree,” he said. “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.” “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge. “Observation,” said McCall.
Chapter 1 of The Blue Star is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 self-centered person with little regard for others
From this reading ““It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.””
have an existence, be extant
From this reading ““It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.””
plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading ““It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.””
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading “Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.”
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading “Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.”
past form of “twirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.”
radically distinctive and without equal
From this reading ““It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.””
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading ““It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.””
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 “Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.”
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.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “I don’t agree,” he said.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
deem to be
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t agree,” he said.
a self-centered person with little regard for others
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
have an existence, be extant
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I don’t agree,” he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t agree,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Observation,” said McCall.
plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading “Observation,” said McCall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I don’t agree,” he said.
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
past form of “twirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Penfield twirled the stem of his port-glass between thumb and finger.
radically distinctive and without equal
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “It’s nothing but egocentric vanity to consider our form of life as unique among those on the millions of worlds that must exist.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How do you know they exist?” said Hodge.
Chapter 1 of The Blue Star by Fletcher Pratt holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Blue Star, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Blue Star by Fletcher Pratt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Blue Star by Fletcher Pratt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5243 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56889 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56889, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 436 minutes of reading across 1049 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Star section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Blue Star 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 Blue Star, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
