Chapter 1 of The Next Time We Die is here in full — 318 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Next Time We Die is here in full — 318 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals. We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile. But are we right? Are they worth being killed over? Perhaps.
Chapter 1 of The Next Time We Die is here in full — 318 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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 “cause” — events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.”
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading “[Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.”
plural of “ideal” — the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
From this reading “[Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.”
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading “[Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “Are they worth being killed over?”
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “[Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.”
-ing form of “sacrifice” — endure the loss of
From this reading “We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.”
sufficiently valuable to justify the investment of time or interest
From this reading “We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.”
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 “We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But are we right?
for the reason that
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Are they worth being killed over?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But are we right?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
plural of “cause” — events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
plural of “ideal” — the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Are they worth being killed over?
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
above and across; more than
From this reading Are they worth being killed over?
by chance
From this reading Perhaps.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
precisely, exactly
From this reading But are we right?
-ing form of “sacrifice” — endure the loss of
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Are they worth being killed over?
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading [Sidenote: _We journey to far places, driven on by ideals.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Are they worth being killed over?
sufficiently valuable to justify the investment of time or interest
From this reading We fight for lost causes, sacrificing our lives because the things we fight for seem worthwhile.
Chapter 1 of The Next Time We Die by Robert Moore Williams holds 318 sentences, grouped into 64 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 318 sentences of The Next Time We Die, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Next Time We Die by Robert Moore Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 318 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 Next Time We Die by Robert Moore Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 318 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32683 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32683, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 26 minutes of reading across 64 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Next Time We Die section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Next Time We Die 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 Next Time We Die, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
