Chapter 1 of The Planet with No Nightmare is here in full — 663 sentences across 133 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Planet with No Nightmare is here in full — 663 sentences across 133 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers. The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily. The second was that they didn't die at all. Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall. Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
Chapter 1 of The Planet with No Nightmare is here in full — 663 sentences across 133 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/132 · 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 decrease in rate of change
From this reading “Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.”
having or resembling a finger or fingers; often used in combination
From this reading “Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.”
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading “Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.”
a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading “The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.”
past form of “savor” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.”
a spacecraft designed to carry a crew into interstellar space (especially in science fiction)
From this reading “Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.”
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading “Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.”
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 Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The second was that they didn't die at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The second was that they didn't die at all.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
a decrease in rate of change
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The second was that they didn't die at all.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The second was that they didn't die at all.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
having or resembling a finger or fingers; often used in combination
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ekstrohm fingered loose the cinches of his deceleration couch.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
past form of “savor” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The second was that they didn't die at all.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
a spacecraft designed to carry a crew into interstellar space (especially in science fiction)
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading Tension eased away as the spaceship settled down on its metallic haunches and they savored a safe planetfall.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first puzzler about them was that they died so easily.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The creatures on the little planet were real bafflers.
Chapter 1 of The Planet with No Nightmare by Jim Harmon holds 663 sentences, grouped into 133 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 663 sentences of The Planet with No Nightmare, unabridged, divided into 133 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Planet with No Nightmare by Jim Harmon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 663 sentences, grouped into 133 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 133 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 133 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 Planet with No Nightmare by Jim Harmon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 663 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31174 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31174, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 55 minutes of reading across 133 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Planet with No Nightmare section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Planet with No Nightmare 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 Planet with No Nightmare, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
