Chapter 1 of The Gun is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Gun is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Nothing moved or stirred. Everything was silent, dead. Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time. The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope. He adjusted the focus quickly.
Chapter 1 of The Gun is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/125 · 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.
altered to accommodate to certain requirements or bring into a proper relation
From this reading “He adjusted the focus quickly.”
any undertaking that is easy to do
From this reading “The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.”
combination of lenses at the viewing end of optical instruments
From this reading “The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.”
the concentration of attention or energy on something
From this reading “He adjusted the focus quickly.”
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.”
crush together or collapse
From this reading “The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.”
destroyed in an accident
From this reading “Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.”
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 return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
altered to accommodate to certain requirements or bring into a proper relation
From this reading He adjusted the focus quickly.
(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 Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
any undertaking that is easy to do
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Everything was silent, dead.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything was silent, dead.
combination of lenses at the viewing end of optical instruments
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
the concentration of attention or energy on something
From this reading He adjusted the focus quickly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He adjusted the focus quickly.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading _Nothing moved or stirred.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading _Nothing moved or stirred.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
and nothing more
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Nothing moved or stirred.
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
select carefully from a group
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
with speed
From this reading He adjusted the focus quickly.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Everything was silent, dead.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading _Nothing moved or stirred.
crush together or collapse
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Everything was silent, dead.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The return journey to pick up the treasure would be a cinch ... they smiled._ The Captain peered into the eyepiece of the telescope.
destroyed in an accident
From this reading Only the gun showed signs of life ... and the trespassers had wrecked that for all time.
Chapter 1 of The Gun by Philip K. Dick holds 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 627 sentences of The Gun, unabridged, divided into 126 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Gun by Philip K. Dick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 126 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 126 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 Gun by Philip K. Dick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 627 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29132 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29132, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 52 minutes of reading across 126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Gun 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 Gun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
