Chapter 1 of The Vibration Wasps is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Vibration Wasps is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time. It might as well have been the eighth or tenth. It went on and on. Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard. I'll go it alone then."
Chapter 1 of The Vibration Wasps is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
coming next after the seventh and just before the ninth in position
From this reading “It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.”
the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
From this reading “_Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.”
inflected form of “rebel” — take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance
From this reading “Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.”
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading “Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.”
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading “_Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.”
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading “It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.”
causing extreme terror
From this reading “_Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “It went on and on.”
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.
(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 Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
Having no one else present.
From this reading I'll go it alone then."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
coming next after the seventh and just before the ninth in position
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I'll go it alone then."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll go it alone then."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It went on and on.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
inflected form of “rebel” — take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
a gesture involving the shoulders
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
causing extreme terror
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I'll go it alone then."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
to an inexpressible degree
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
(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 It might as well have been the eighth or tenth.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It went on and on.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Enormous, they were--like Jupiter--and unutterably terrifying to Joan--_ I was out in space with Joan for the sixth time.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Every time I rebelled Joan would shrug and murmur: "All right, Richard.
Chapter 1 of The Vibration Wasps by Frank Belknap Long holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 79 sentences of The Vibration Wasps, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Vibration Wasps by Frank Belknap Long exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Vibration Wasps by Frank Belknap Long on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 522 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 43 minutes of reading across 105 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vibration Wasps section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Vibration Wasps 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 Vibration Wasps, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
