Chapter 1 of The Long, Silvery Day is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Long, Silvery Day is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right! "Let's go slumming," said Powers-of-pearl. "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day. We haven't played that game in ages." "How do we pick him?"
Chapter 1 of The Long, Silvery Day is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading “We haven't played that game in ages."”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!”
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “We haven't played that game in ages."”
by chance
From this reading “It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “"How do we pick him?"”
(of games) engaged in
From this reading “We haven't played that game in ages."”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “"Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.”
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.
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 "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do we pick him?"
an inhabitant of the earth
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Let's go slumming," said Powers-of-pearl.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "How do we pick him?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do we pick him?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's go slumming," said Powers-of-pearl.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
by chance
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
select carefully from a group
From this reading "How do we pick him?"
(of games) engaged in
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's go slumming," said Powers-of-pearl.
precisely, exactly
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Let's go slumming," said Powers-of-pearl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's go slumming," said Powers-of-pearl.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We haven't played that game in ages."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
at the time that
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Let's give an earthman his wish for a day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was one of those days--perhaps you've had them--when everything went right!
Chapter 1 of The Long, Silvery Day by Magnus Ludens holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 75 sentences of The Long, Silvery Day, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Long, Silvery Day by Magnus Ludens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Long, Silvery Day by Magnus Ludens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 75 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 6 minutes of reading across 15 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Long, Silvery Day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Long, Silvery Day 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 Long, Silvery Day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
