Chapter 1 of The Hairy Ones is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Hairy Ones is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars. "The outlaw ships are attacking!" Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin. "Five or six of them. Cut the searchlights!"
Chapter 1 of The Hairy Ones is here in full — 350 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
constricted in size
From this reading “Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.”
cut off or left behind
From this reading “Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.”
possessive form of “nash” — United States writer noted for his droll epigrams (1902-1971)
From this reading “Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.”
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “"The outlaw ships are attacking!"”
a policeman who patrols a given region
From this reading “Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.”
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading “Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.”
Norse chieftain who became the first duke of Normandy (860-931)
From this reading “Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.”
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading “Cut the searchlights!"”
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 “Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.”
In this reading “Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.”
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 Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The outlaw ships are attacking!"
disposed to attack
From this reading "The outlaw ships are attacking!"
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
constricted in size
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Cut the searchlights!"
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "Five or six of them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
a young female
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
highest in quality
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
cut off or left behind
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
possessive form of “nash” — United States writer noted for his droll epigrams (1902-1971)
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Five or six of them.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Five or six of them.
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading "The outlaw ships are attacking!"
a policeman who patrols a given region
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
Norse chieftain who became the first duke of Normandy (860-931)
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading Cut the searchlights!"
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading "The outlaw ships are attacking!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading "Five or six of them.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The outlaw ships are attacking!"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Five or six of them.
a single sharp crash of thunder
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Old Garmon Nash's harsh voice snapped like a thunderclap in the cramped rocket flyer's cabin.
someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Marooned on a world within a world, aided by a slim girl and an old warrior, Patrolman Sisko Rolf was fighting his greatest battle--to bring life to dying Mars.
Chapter 1 of The Hairy Ones by Basil Wells holds 350 sentences, grouped into 70 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 350 sentences of The Hairy Ones, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Hairy Ones by Basil Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 350 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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 Hairy Ones by Basil Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 350 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63398 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63398, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 29 minutes of reading across 70 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hairy Ones section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Hairy 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 Hairy Ones, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
