Chapter 1 of The Lamps of the Angels is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Lamps of the Angels is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The golden guardians denied mankind the stars. They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more! "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?" Mrs. Sanchez asked her son. Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
Chapter 1 of The Lamps of the Angels is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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 slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading “"Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"”
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading “The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.”
plural of “guardian” — a person who cares for persons or property
From this reading “The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.”
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading “They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!”
gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease
From this reading “Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.”
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading “The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.”
Venezuelan master terrorist raised by a Marxist-Leninist father; trained and worked with many terrorist groups (born in 1949)
From this reading “Mrs. Sanchez asked her son.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “"Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"”
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 “"Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"”
In this reading “"Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"”
put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.
In this reading “Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.”
In this reading “"Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"”
In this reading “"Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"”
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 "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Mrs. Sanchez asked her son.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.
plural of “guardian” — a person who cares for persons or property
From this reading The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Sanchez asked her son.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
immediately past
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Sanchez asked her son.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
Venezuelan master terrorist raised by a Marxist-Leninist father; trained and worked with many terrorist groups (born in 1949)
From this reading Mrs. Sanchez asked her son.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
a male human offspring
From this reading Mrs. Sanchez asked her son.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The golden guardians denied mankind the stars.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Lithe, dark Roberto set down his breakfast coffee and smiled up at her.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were irresistible in their might ... and they were something more!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why did you come creeping into the house last night like a thief?"
Chapter 1 of The Lamps of the Angels by Richard Sabia holds 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 338 sentences of The Lamps of the Angels, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Lamps of the Angels by Richard Sabia exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 Lamps of the Angels by Richard Sabia on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 338 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51669 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51669, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 28 minutes of reading across 68 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lamps of the Angels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Lamps of the Angels 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 Lamps of the Angels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
