Chapter 1 of The Useless Bugbreeders is here in full — 336 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Useless Bugbreeders is here in full — 336 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC. BUT TO THE USELESS BUGBREEDERS IT WAS HOME! The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost. So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client. I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
Chapter 1 of The Useless Bugbreeders is here in full — 336 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading “TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.”
plural of “commissioner” — a government administrator
From this reading “So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.”
between or among planets
From this reading “TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.”
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading “So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.”
plural of “pleading” — (law) a statement in legal and logical form stating something on behalf of a party to a legal proceeding
From this reading “So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.”
any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective
From this reading “TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.”
suppress or crush completely
From this reading “I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.”
dividing an area into zones or sections reserved for different purposes such as residence and business and manufacturing etc
From this reading “So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.”
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.
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 TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BUT TO THE USELESS BUGBREEDERS IT WAS HOME!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading BUT TO THE USELESS BUGBREEDERS IT WAS HOME!
an occurrence of something
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
plural of “commissioner” — a government administrator
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
slightly wet
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading BUT TO THE USELESS BUGBREEDERS IT WAS HOME!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
between or among planets
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading BUT TO THE USELESS BUGBREEDERS IT WAS HOME!
and nothing more
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
plural of “pleading” — (law) a statement in legal and logical form stating something on behalf of a party to a legal proceeding
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
suppress or crush completely
From this reading I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried not to squelch as I approached the bench.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading BUT TO THE USELESS BUGBREEDERS IT WAS HOME!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading TO THE SPACE COUNCIL, ASTEROID 4722 WAS JUST ANOTHER ROADBLOCK IN THE WAY OF INTERPLANETARY TRAFFIC.
a person who weeps
From this reading The previous case was a Weeper, and he lost.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
dividing an area into zones or sections reserved for different purposes such as residence and business and manufacturing etc
From this reading So the Space Zoning Commissioners were damp and irritable before I opened pleadings for my client.
Chapter 1 of The Useless Bugbreeders by James Stamers holds 336 sentences, grouped into 68 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 336 sentences of The Useless Bugbreeders, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Useless Bugbreeders by James Stamers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 336 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 Useless Bugbreeders by James Stamers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 336 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 28 minutes of reading across 68 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Useless Bugbreeders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Useless Bugbreeders 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 Useless Bugbreeders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
