Chapter 1 of The Repairman is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Repairman is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble! The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time. Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me. I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth. "I quit.
Chapter 1 of The Repairman is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading “I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.”
a notable achievement
From this reading “Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.”
great merriment
From this reading “The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.”
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading “The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.”
between or among stars
From this reading “Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!”
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “"I quit.”
a large marble used for shooting in the game of marbles
From this reading “Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.”
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 The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
fearless and daring
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
a notable achievement
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
great merriment
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
between or among stars
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
not any; not one
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading "I quit.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
a large marble used for shooting in the game of marbles
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
a person, without saying who
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I talked first, bold attack being the best defense and so forth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
a source of difficulty
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
precisely as stated
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Old Man had that look of intense glee on his face that meant someone was in for a very rough time.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Since we were alone, it took no great feat of intelligence to figure it would be me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Being an interstellar trouble shooter wouldn't be so bad ... if I could shoot the trouble!
Chapter 1 of The Repairman by Harry Harrison holds 373 sentences, grouped into 75 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 373 sentences of The Repairman, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Repairman by Harry Harrison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 373 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Repairman by Harry Harrison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 373 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22073 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22073, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 31 minutes of reading across 75 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Repairman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Repairman 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 Repairman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
