Chapter 1 of Theft is here in full — 327 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Theft is here in full — 327 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid. His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories! Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement. He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl. He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.
Chapter 1 of Theft is here in full — 327 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/65 · 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.
past form of “down” — drink down entirely
From this reading “Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.”
inflected form of “flip” — lightly throw to see which side comes up
From this reading “With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.”
either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.”
a small or medium size container for holding or carrying things
From this reading “He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.”
a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading “His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!”
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading “He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.”
the seed of the cereal grass
From this reading “Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.”
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading “With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.”
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 pouch for carrying pipe tobacco
In this reading “He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.”
In this reading “Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.”
move out or away
In this reading “He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.”
In this reading “With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.”
In this reading “He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.”
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 Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.
past form of “down” — drink down entirely
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
informal intensifiers
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
inflected form of “flip” — lightly throw to see which side comes up
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
pleasant-smelling
From this reading He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
the force of workers available
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
a small or medium size container for holding or carrying things
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!
the seed of the cereal grass
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Thompson poured himself a shot of rye and downed it in one quick movement.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading He puffed clouds of fragrant smoke.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion
From this reading He then pulled out his tobacco pouch, filled his pipe and applied a flaming match to the bowl.
up to a particular time
From this reading His psychiatrist agreed--until he read the stories!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
produce a literary work
From this reading With little green men telling him what to write, Thompson was certain he had flipped his lid.
Chapter 1 of Theft by Bill Venable holds 327 sentences, grouped into 66 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 327 sentences of Theft, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Theft by Bill Venable exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 327 sentences, grouped into 66 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 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 66 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 Theft by Bill Venable on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 327 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65876 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65876, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 27 minutes of reading across 66 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Theft section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Theft 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 Theft, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
