Chapter 1 of The sentinel stars is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The sentinel stars is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley. His name, of course, was never used. The Organization found numbers more efficient than names. Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen. He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
Chapter 1 of The sentinel stars is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.”
Australian physician and bacteriologist who described the bacterium that causes undulant fever or brucellosis (1855-1931)
From this reading “With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.”
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading “With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.”
being effective without wasting time or effort or expense
From this reading “The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.”
the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt
From this reading “The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.”
a group of people who work together
From this reading “The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “His name, of course, was never used.”
In this reading “His name, of course, was never used.”
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 Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen.
any person at all
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
Australian physician and bacteriologist who described the bacterium that causes undulant fever or brucellosis (1855-1931)
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading His name, of course, was never used.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
being effective without wasting time or effort or expense
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
set up or found
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His name, of course, was never used.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading His name, of course, was never used.
the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His name, of course, was never used.
and nothing more
From this reading Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen.
a group of people who work together
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He was himself, different from anyone else, and he had to do something about it.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The Organization found numbers more efficient than names.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
hormone released by the hypothalamus that controls the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone from the anterior pituitary
From this reading Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading His name, of course, was never used.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only, TRH-247 wasn't any other citizen.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With love to Helen and Bruce That meant he was the two-hundred-and-forty-seventh citizen with the name Thomas Robert Hendley.
Chapter 1 of The sentinel stars by Louis Charbonneau holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The sentinel stars, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The sentinel stars by Louis Charbonneau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 sentinel stars by Louis Charbonneau on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The sentinel stars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The sentinel stars 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 sentinel stars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
