Chapter 7 of The Impossibles is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Impossibles is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Only a small one, though. He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit. Besides, he had to meet Dorothy. He sat down on one of the tall bar stools. The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
Chapter 7 of The Impossibles is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.”
an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar
From this reading “The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.”
in addition to; as well as
From this reading “Besides, he had to meet Dorothy.”
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.”
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.”
plural of “stool” — a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.”
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.”
Mexican liquor made from fermented juices of an agave plant
From this reading “He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.”
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 Only a small one, though.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar
From this reading The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, he had to meet Dorothy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides, he had to meet Dorothy.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Besides, he had to meet Dorothy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
come together
From this reading Besides, he had to meet Dorothy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Only a small one, though.
and nothing more
From this reading Only a small one, though.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
above and across; more than
From this reading The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Only a small one, though.
with speculation; in a speculative manner
From this reading The bartender bustled over and eyed him speculatively.
plural of “stool” — a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
Mexican liquor made from fermented juices of an agave plant
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He sat down on one of the tall bar stools.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Only a small one, though.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Besides, he had to meet Dorothy.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He told himself that he would order one tequila and quit.
Chapter 7 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 7 holds 423 sentences of The Impossibles, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 7 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 Impossibles by Randall Garrett 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 Impossibles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Impossibles 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 Impossibles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
