Chapter 1 of Thin Edge is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Thin Edge is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly! "Beep!" said the radio smugly. "_Beep!
Chapter 1 of Thin Edge is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading “This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.”
make a loud noise
From this reading “"Beep!" said the radio smugly.”
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.”
plural of “invention” — the creation of something in the mind
From this reading “There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!”
medium for communication
From this reading “"Beep!" said the radio smugly.”
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.”
in a smug manner
From this reading “"Beep!" said the radio smugly.”
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.
In this reading “There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!”
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 Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.”
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 Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
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 There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
make a loud noise
From this reading "Beep!" said the radio smugly.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
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.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
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 piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
plural of “invention” — the creation of something in the mind
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
used to form the superlative
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
in a nasty ill-tempered manner
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
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 There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
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.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
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.
medium for communication
From this reading "Beep!" said the radio smugly.
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.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Beep!" said the radio smugly.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
in a smug manner
From this reading "Beep!" said the radio smugly.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
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.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
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 act of using
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction December 1963.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use--and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!
Chapter 1 of Thin Edge by Randall Garrett holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Thin Edge, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Thin Edge by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Thin Edge by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 828 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30869 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30869, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 69 minutes of reading across 166 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thin Edge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Thin Edge 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 Thin Edge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
