Chapter 1 of The Shipshape Miracle is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Shipshape Miracle is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted! If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer. He had no illusions now. He knew exactly what he faced. His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
Chapter 1 of The Shipshape Miracle is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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 remote and undeveloped area
From this reading “His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.”
a person who is rejected (from society or home)
From this reading “The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!”
hardy hornless sheep of the Cheviot Hills noted for its short thick wool
From this reading “If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.”
plural of “illusion” — an erroneous mental representation
From this reading “He had no illusions now.”
plural of “miracle” — any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.”
feel sadness
From this reading “His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.”
United States playwright (1896-1955)
From this reading “If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.”
not having inhabitants; not lived in
From this reading “His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.”
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 “He knew exactly what he faced.”
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 castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
a remote and undeveloped area
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
a person who is rejected (from society or home)
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
hardy hornless sheep of the Cheviot Hills noted for its short thick wool
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
at any time
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading He knew exactly what he faced.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading He knew exactly what he faced.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
plural of “illusion” — an erroneous mental representation
From this reading He had no illusions now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew exactly what he faced.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
for more time
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
plural of “miracle” — any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
feel sadness
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
not any; not one
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
not one, and not any
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had no illusions now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
(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 His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
United States playwright (1896-1955)
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading If Cheviot Sherwood ever had believed in miracles, he believed in them no longer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
not having inhabitants; not lived in
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The castaway was a wanted man--but he didn't know how badly he was wanted!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He knew exactly what he faced.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading His life would come to an end on this uninhabited backwoods planet and there'd be none to mourn him, none to know.
Chapter 1 of The Shipshape Miracle by Clifford D. Simak holds 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 324 sentences of The Shipshape Miracle, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Shipshape Miracle by Clifford D. Simak exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Shipshape Miracle by Clifford D. Simak on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 324 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61333 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61333, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 27 minutes of reading across 65 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shipshape Miracle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Shipshape Miracle 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 Shipshape Miracle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
