Chapter 1 of The Executioner is here in full — 483 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Executioner is here in full — 483 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. _The vote was three to two for death! Jacques had no choice. He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
Chapter 1 of The Executioner is here in full — 483 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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 document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.”
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
From this reading “_The vote was three to two for death!”
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.”
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.
someone who holds a government position (either by election or appointment)
In this reading “He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...”
In this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
In this reading “This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading Jacques had no choice.
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _The vote was three to two for death!
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _The vote was three to two for death!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jacques had no choice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jacques had no choice.
not any; not one
From this reading Jacques had no choice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
restored to a new condition
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading _The vote was three to two for death!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _The vote was three to two for death!
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading _The vote was three to two for death!
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
From this reading _The vote was three to two for death!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a public servant with a duty...._ "...
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1956.
Chapter 1 of The Executioner by Frank Riley holds 483 sentences, grouped into 97 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 483 sentences of The Executioner, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Executioner by Frank Riley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 483 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 Executioner by Frank Riley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32087 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32087, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 40 minutes of reading across 97 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Executioner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Executioner 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 Executioner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
