Chapter 1 of The Ethic of the Assassin is here in full — 687 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Ethic of the Assassin is here in full — 687 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Incorruptible, The Assassin. The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed. Konrad had stolen his lovely wife. Was it a dream? His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
Chapter 1 of The Ethic of the Assassin is here in full — 687 sentences across 138 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/137 · 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 murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading “_Incorruptible, The Assassin.”
put quickly or forcibly
From this reading “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
in a softened tone
From this reading “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep
From this reading “His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.”
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
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 “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
In this reading “The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.”
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 best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading _Incorruptible, The Assassin.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
put quickly or forcibly
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading Was it a dream?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
in a gradual manner
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.
in a softened tone
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
incapable of being morally corrupted
From this reading _Incorruptible, The Assassin.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Was it a dream?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading His hand moved to find Kit's smooth, gently slumbering back.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Incorruptible, The Assassin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Konrad had stolen his lovely wife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The best you could do was to buy the delicate Kri-Kri death._ The monotonous cry of the kri-kri hushed with a clap of silence that snapped the young doctor upright in bed.
Chapter 1 of The Ethic of the Assassin by Hayden Howard holds 687 sentences, grouped into 138 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 687 sentences of The Ethic of the Assassin, unabridged, divided into 138 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Ethic of the Assassin by Hayden Howard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 687 sentences, grouped into 138 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 138 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 138 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 Ethic of the Assassin by Hayden Howard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 687 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 57 minutes of reading across 138 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ethic of the Assassin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Ethic of the Assassin 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 Ethic of the Assassin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
