Chapter 1 of The deadly ones is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The deadly ones is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance. Why, why did he have to go exploring? _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction. He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments. Be warned!
Chapter 1 of The deadly ones is here in full — 409 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.
wanted intensely
From this reading “He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.”
-ing form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading “Why, why did he have to go exploring?”
a Greek sandwich: sliced roast lamb with onion and tomato stuffed into pita bread
From this reading “He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.”
moved or operated or effected by liquid (water or oil)
From this reading “He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.”
A terrifying or distressing dream.
From this reading “He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.”
-ing form of “practice” — carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions
From this reading “He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.”
plural of “press” — the state of demanding notice or attention
From this reading “He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.”
past form of “prey” — profit from in an exploitatory manner
From this reading “He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.”
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 “He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.”
In this reading “He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.”
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 He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
in addition
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Be warned!
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
wanted intensely
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
done or made or performed with purpose and intent
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Why, why did he have to go exploring?
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
-ing form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading Why, why did he have to go exploring?
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Why, why did he have to go exploring?
a Greek sandwich: sliced roast lamb with onion and tomato stuffed into pita bread
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, why did he have to go exploring?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
moved or operated or effected by liquid (water or oil)
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
A terrifying or distressing dream.
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
-ing form of “practice” — carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
plural of “press” — the state of demanding notice or attention
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
past form of “prey” — profit from in an exploitatory manner
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why, why did he have to go exploring?
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading _F. L. Wallace is one of the bright new stars of science fiction.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading Be warned!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He preyed on the nightmare fears of mankind, and the dread food he craved was his in abundance.
which person or people
From this reading He is also a practicing engineer who has designed hydraulic presses, and gyro instruments.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, why did he have to go exploring?
Chapter 1 of The deadly ones by F. L. (Floyd L.) Wallace holds 409 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 409 sentences of The deadly ones, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The deadly ones by F. L. (Floyd L.) Wallace exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 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 deadly ones by F. L. (Floyd L.) Wallace 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 The deadly ones section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The deadly ones 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 deadly ones, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
