Chapter 1 of The Drivers is here in full — 515 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Drivers is here in full — 515 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses. And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps. Slowly, one, two, three, four. Down the naked, ice-white corridor. The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
Chapter 1 of The Drivers is here in full — 515 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/103 · 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.
capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary
From this reading “And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.”
to say again or imitate
From this reading “The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.”
plural of “neurosis” — a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction
From this reading “_Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.”
plural of “outlet” — a place of business for retailing goods
From this reading “_Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.”
plural of “substitute” — a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
From this reading “_Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.”
below the required standards for a purpose
From this reading “And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.”
past form of “weed” — clear of weeds
From this reading “And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.”
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 “_Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.”
In this reading “The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.”
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.
(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 _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading Down the naked, ice-white corridor.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Down the naked, ice-white corridor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
to say again or imitate
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Slowly, one, two, three, four.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Down the naked, ice-white corridor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
completely unclothed
From this reading Down the naked, ice-white corridor.
plural of “neurosis” — a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Slowly, one, two, three, four.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
plural of “outlet” — a place of business for retailing goods
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Slowly, one, two, three, four.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
plural of “substitute” — a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The echo of his footfalls like drumbeats, ominous, threatening.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Slowly, one, two, three, four.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Slowly, one, two, three, four.
below the required standards for a purpose
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
past form of “weed” — clear of weeds
From this reading And the unfit were weeded out by death...._ Up the concrete steps.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Jetways were excellent substitutes for war, perfect outlets for all forms of neuroses.
Chapter 1 of The Drivers by Edward W. Ludwig holds 515 sentences, grouped into 103 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 515 sentences of The Drivers, unabridged, divided into 103 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Drivers by Edward W. Ludwig exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 515 sentences, grouped into 103 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 103 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 103 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 Drivers by Edward W. Ludwig 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 Drivers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Drivers 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 Drivers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
