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The strange people
The strange people

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The strange people is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The strange people
Context Illustration Reading 1/92 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.
It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.
There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.
That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.
Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The strange people

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The strange people is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/92 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.
/əˈkɔːrdɪŋ tuː ˈkʌnɪŋhæmz ˈskedʒʊl ðer wɑːz ə ˈpɜːrfəktli ˈfiːzəbəl ruːt tuː roʊˈmæns ənd tuː haɪ ædˈventʃər/
Line 2
It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.
/ɪt bɪˈɡæn weˈrevər juː ˈhæpənd tuː biː ənd led tuː ˈbɑːstən/
Line 3
There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.
Line 4
That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.
Line 5
Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

Learner Dictionary

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.

baggage noun US /ˈbæɡədʒ/

cases used to carry belongings when traveling

From this reading “There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.”

Cunningham's noun US /ˈkʌnɪŋhæmz/

possessive form of “cunningham” — United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1922)

feasible adjective US /ˈfiːzəbəl/

capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are

From this reading “According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.”

Hampshire noun US /ˈhæmpʃər/

a county of southern England on the English Channel

From this reading “That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.”

hired adjective US /ˈhaɪərd/

having services engaged for a fee

From this reading “That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.”

Junction noun US /ˈdʒʌŋkʃən/

the place where two or more things come together

From this reading “There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.”

passenger noun US /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading “There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.”

schedule noun US /ˈskedʒʊl/

a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to

From this reading “According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

baggage car noun + noun

a railway car where passengers' bags are carried

In this reading “There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.”

eight miles adjective + noun counted as “eight mile”

In this reading “Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.”

train of verb + particle

In this reading “There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

accomodation

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

AccordingadjectiveUS /əˈkɔːrdɪŋ/

(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

adventureverbUS /ædˈventʃər/

take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

baggagenounUS /ˈbæɡədʒ/

cases used to carry belongings when traveling

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

Bendale

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.

BostonnounUS /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

changedadjectiveUS /tʃeɪndʒd/

made or become different in nature or form

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

coachverbUS /koʊtʃ/

teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

Coulters

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

Cunningham'snounUS /ˈkʌnɪŋhæmz/

possessive form of “cunningham” — United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1922)

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

eightadjectiveUS /eɪt/

being one more than seven

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

feasibleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːzəbəl/

capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

HampshirenounUS /ˈhæmpʃər/

a county of southern England on the English Channel

From this reading That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

Hatton

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

hiredadjectiveUS /ˈhaɪərd/

having services engaged for a fee

From this reading That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

JunctionnounUS /ˈdʒʌŋkʃən/

the place where two or more things come together

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

lednounUS /led/

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

milesnounUS /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

passengernounUS /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

perfectlyadverbUS /ˈpɜːrfəktli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

romancenounUS /roʊˈmæns/

a relationship between two lovers

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

routenounUS /ruːt/

an established line of travel or access

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

schedulenounUS /ˈskedʒʊl/

a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

somewhereadverbUS /ˈsʌmwer/

in or at or to some place

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

teamnounUS /tiːm/

a cooperative unit (especially in sports)

From this reading That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That led you to Bendale, New Hampshire, and there you hired a team.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading There you took a train to Hatton Junction and changed to an accomodation train of one passenger coach and one baggage car.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading According to Cunningham’s schedule there was a perfectly feasible route to romance and to high adventure.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

whereverconjunctionUS /weˈrevər/

in or to any place at all

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Both romance and adventure were to be found somewhere around Coulters, which was eight miles from Bendale.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading It began wherever you happened to be and led to Boston.

Chapter 1 of The strange people by Murray Leinster holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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.

What does chapter 1 of The strange people contain?

Chapter 1 holds 461 sentences of The strange people, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The strange people by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The strange people?

Work through the 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 93 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The strange people

Common questions about reading The strange people by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The strange people?

Yes. All 2309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The strange people is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73515, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The strange people take to read?

About 192 minutes of reading across 462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The strange people section by section

How to work through The strange people section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of The strange people to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The strange people

Words and structures a reader meets early in The strange people, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

According
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The strange people; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cunningham
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The strange people; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Schedule
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The strange people; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Perfectly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The strange people; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.