Chapter 1 of The Tunnel Under the World is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Tunnel Under the World is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming. Surgical instruments? Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
Chapter 1 of The Tunnel Under the World is here in full — 522 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/104 · 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.
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading “This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.”
-ing form of “pinch” — squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading “Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.”
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
of or relating to or involving or used in surgery
From this reading “Surgical instruments?”
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
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 medical instrument used in surgery
In this reading “Surgical instruments?”
In this reading “Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.”
In this reading “This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.”
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 This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
(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 Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading Surgical instruments?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
not any; not one
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
-ing form of “pinch” — squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
restored to a new condition
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
systematic investigation to establish facts
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
of or relating to or involving or used in surgery
From this reading Surgical instruments?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
remove all or part of one's clothes to show one's body
From this reading Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
an affirmative
From this reading Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is best of all!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
Chapter 1 of The Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl holds 522 sentences, grouped into 105 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 522 sentences of The Tunnel Under the World, unabridged, divided into 105 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 522 sentences, grouped into 105 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 105 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 105 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 Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1034 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 86 minutes of reading across 207 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tunnel Under the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Tunnel Under the World 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 Tunnel Under the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
