Chapter 1 of The Time Snatcher is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 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 Snatcher is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future. It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said. "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history. The situation's desperate." Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.
Chapter 1 of The Time Snatcher is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading “Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.”
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
From this reading “Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.”
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.”
press tightly together or cram
From this reading “It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.”
a policeman who patrols a given region
From this reading “Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.”
plural of “result” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.”
possessive form of “situation” — the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “The situation's desperate."”
the act of altering something secretly or improperly
From this reading “Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.”
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 “Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.”
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 It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
a member of a council
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading The situation's desperate."
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
yet to be or coming
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
press tightly together or cram
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
a policeman who patrols a given region
From this reading Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.
plural of “result” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
possessive form of “situation” — the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The situation's desperate."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "If Sagginer isn't stopped, he'll change history.
the act of altering something secretly or improperly
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Time Patrolman Brek Halliday nodded in agreement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch-- "We're in a hell of a jam, Brek," the Councillor said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future.
Chapter 1 of The Time Snatcher by Randall Garrett holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of The Time Snatcher, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Time Snatcher by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Snatcher by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65671 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65671, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 33 minutes of reading across 80 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Time Snatcher section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Time Snatcher 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 Snatcher, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
