Chapter 1 of The minister had to wait is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The minister had to wait is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Brass said, "Turn it on!" So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess. THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT. Doc Maxey didn't build the Di-tube as a weapon. Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
Chapter 1 of The minister had to wait is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
an alloy of copper and zinc
From this reading “The Brass said, "Turn it on!"”
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading “So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.”
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.”
in addition
From this reading “Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.”
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading “So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.”
plural of “monster” — an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading “THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.”
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.”
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.
not act or do anything
In this reading “Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.”
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 So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Doc Maxey didn't build the Di-tube as a weapon.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
an alloy of copper and zinc
From this reading The Brass said, "Turn it on!"
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading Doc Maxey didn't build the Di-tube as a weapon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
past form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doc Maxey didn't build the Di-tube as a weapon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doc Maxey didn't build the Di-tube as a weapon.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
opinion or judgment
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
in addition
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Brass said, "Turn it on!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
plural of “monster” — an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
not any; not one
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
be obedient to
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Brass said, "Turn it on!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The Brass said, "Turn it on!"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Brass said, "Turn it on!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading The Brass said, "Turn it on!"
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading Doc Maxey didn't build the Di-tube as a weapon.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE MONSTERS HAD NO EYES BUT THEY WERE BEMS FOR A' THAT.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading So Doc Maxey could but obey--which created one hell of a big mess.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Furthermore, he swore, he would be damned if he'd stand by and see it turned into one.
Chapter 1 of The minister had to wait by Roger D. Aycock holds 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 299 sentences of The minister had to wait, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The minister had to wait by Roger D. Aycock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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How to work through The minister had to wait section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 minister had to wait, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
