Chapter 1 of The Rat Race is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Rat Race is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ... Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women! GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP. 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y. GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
Chapter 1 of The Rat Race is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/2 · 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.
surprising greatly
From this reading “The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...”
a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
From this reading “GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP.”
plural of “editor” — a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading “GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.”
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading “GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP.”
a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century
From this reading “421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.”
having strong sexual appeal
From this reading “Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!”
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.”
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading “GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
surprising greatly
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
the two together, not just one
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
From this reading GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP.
plural of “editor” — a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP.
a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
having strong sexual appeal
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading GALAXY PUBLISHING CORP.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
chosen in preference to another
From this reading GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Novels, selected by the editors of GALAXY _Science Fiction_ Magazine, are the choice of science fiction novels both published and original.
a person, without saying who
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
which person or people
From this reading The Astonishing Narrative of a Man Who Was Somebody Else ...
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Mixed Up With Politics and Three Luscious Women!
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading 421 HUDSON STREET NEW YORK 14, N. Y.
Chapter 1 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin holds 13 sentences, grouped into 3 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 13 sentences of The Rat Race, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Rat Race by Jay Franklin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 13 sentences, grouped into 3 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 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 3 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 Rat Race by Jay Franklin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6721 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51854 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51854, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 560 minutes of reading across 1345 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rat Race section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Rat Race 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 Rat Race, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
