Chapter 1 of The Time Mirror is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Time Mirror is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed! It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!] Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room. "And this mirror, darling?" Mark Carter asked.
Chapter 1 of The Time Mirror is here in full — 480 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading “Mark Carter asked.”
a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
From this reading “It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]”
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
an iconic mental representation
From this reading “It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “[Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!”
the light of the Moon
From this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
past form of “spill” — cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container
From this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
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.
a present given to someone getting married
In this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
In this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
In this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
In this reading “Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.”
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 [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Mark Carter asked.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
From this reading Mark Carter asked.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
a special loved one
From this reading "And this mirror, darling?"
a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
the aggregate of past events
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
an iconic mental representation
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Mark Carter asked.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
the light of the Moon
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
above and across; more than
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
precisely, exactly
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
past form of “spill” — cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It reflected an image all right, but not an image from the same era in history!]
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "And this mirror, darling?"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Sidenote: Here was a strange mirror indeed!
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Pale moonlight spilled through the window and over the wedding gifts that crowded the little room.
Chapter 1 of The Time Mirror by Clark South holds 480 sentences, grouped into 96 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 480 sentences of The Time Mirror, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Time Mirror by Clark South exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 480 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Time Mirror by Clark South on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1439 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32670 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32670, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Time Mirror section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Time Mirror 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 Time Mirror, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
