Chapter 1 of The Creature Inside is here in full — 408 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 Creature Inside is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it! "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor. Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head. "They said you'd fill me in. They said it was urgent."
Chapter 1 of The Creature Inside is here in full — 408 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.
English writer of satirical novels (1917-1993)
From this reading “"How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.”
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading “"They said you'd fill me in.”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “"How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!”
compelling immediate action
From this reading “They said it was urgent."”
someone who visits
From this reading “"How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.”
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.
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 The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
English writer of satirical novels (1917-1993)
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading "They said you'd fill me in.
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "They said you'd fill me in.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
not any; not one
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Lieutenant Jerry Norcriss shook his head.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
express in words
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
compelling immediate action
From this reading They said it was urgent."
someone who visits
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The room was small, but it held a whole universe--and Norcriss had no place in it!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How much did they tell you about the fix we're in?" said Dr. Alan Burgess to his visitor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They said you'd fill me in.
Chapter 1 of The Creature Inside by Jack Sharkey holds 408 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 408 sentences of The Creature Inside, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Creature Inside by Jack Sharkey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 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 Creature Inside by Jack Sharkey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 408 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 34 minutes of reading across 82 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Creature Inside section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Creature Inside 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 Creature Inside, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
