Chapter 1 of The Silver Bullet is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Silver Bullet is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly. "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat. "Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick. "Huh! Might have guessed you would Joyce."
Chapter 1 of The Silver Bullet is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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.
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading “"I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.”
an incompetent or clumsy person
From this reading “"Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.”
English lyric poet (1591-1674)
From this reading “"Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.”
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading “"Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.”
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading “Might have guessed you would Joyce."”
United States writer (1870-1902)
From this reading “London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.”
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.
assume a reclining position
In this reading “London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.”
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 London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
an incompetent or clumsy person
From this reading "Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.
give extra weight to (a communication)
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Might have guessed you would Joyce."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Might have guessed you would Joyce."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
English lyric poet (1591-1674)
From this reading "Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Huh!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading "Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading Might have guessed you would Joyce."
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Infernal little duffer," growled Herrick.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Might have guessed you would Joyce."
United States writer (1870-1902)
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
in a peevish manner
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading London John Long 13 & 14 Norris Street, Haymarket "We had better lie down and die," said Robin peevishly.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "I can't go a step further," and to emphasise his words he deliberately sat.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Might have guessed you would Joyce."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Might have guessed you would Joyce."
Chapter 1 of The Silver Bullet by Fergus Hume holds 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 292 sentences of The Silver Bullet, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Silver Bullet by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Silver Bullet by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9228 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1846 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silver Bullet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Silver Bullet 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 Silver Bullet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
