Chapter 1 of The Skull is here in full — 547 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Skull is here in full — 547 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen. But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?" Conger asked. "Go on. I'm interested."
Chapter 1 of The Skull is here in full — 547 sentences across 110 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/109 · 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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “_Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.”
large dark-colored scaleless marine eel found in temperate and tropical coastal waters; some used for food
From this reading “Conger asked.”
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading “I'm interested."”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “_Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.”
plural of “mistake” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"”
the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates
From this reading “But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"”
possessive form of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Go on.”
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 _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Conger asked.
for the reason that
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
large dark-colored scaleless marine eel found in temperate and tropical coastal waters; some used for food
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go on.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm interested."
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading I'm interested."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
engage in
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
plural of “mistake” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
not any; not one
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Go on.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
possessive form of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm._ "What is this opportunity?"
Chapter 1 of The Skull by Philip K. Dick holds 547 sentences, grouped into 110 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 547 sentences of The Skull, unabridged, divided into 110 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Skull by Philip K. Dick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 547 sentences, grouped into 110 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 110 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 110 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 Skull by Philip K. Dick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1083 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30255 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30255, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 90 minutes of reading across 217 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Skull section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Skull 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 Skull, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
