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Tickets to Paradise
Tickets to Paradise

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Tickets to Paradise is here in full — 529 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tickets to Paradise
Context Illustration Reading 1/105 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.
You see, I'm a railroad construction man.
Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.
And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.
He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tickets to Paradise

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Tickets to Paradise is here in full — 529 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/105 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.
Line 2
You see, I'm a railroad construction man.
Line 3
Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.
Line 4
And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.
Line 5
He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Champ noun US /tʃæmp/

someone who has won first place in a competition

From this reading “And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.”

construction noun US /kənˈstrʌkʃən/

the act of constructing something

From this reading “You see, I'm a railroad construction man.”

inlet noun US /ˈɪnlet/

an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)

From this reading “Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.”

Musa noun US /ˈmjuːsə/

type genus of the Musaceae: bananas

From this reading “Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.”

pathway noun US /ˈpæθweɪ/

a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain

From this reading “_The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.”

Persian noun US /ˈpɜːrʒən/

a native or inhabitant of Iran

From this reading “Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.”

starving adjective US /ˈstɑːrvɪŋ/

suffering from lack of food

From this reading “He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.”

warp verb US /wɔːrp/

make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story

From this reading “_The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

whole outfit adjective + noun

In this reading “Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

500,000

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

acquaintancenounUS /əˈkweɪntəns/

personal knowledge or information about someone or something

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

AmericanounUS /əˈmerəkə/

North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

Bandar

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

boatnounUS /boʊt/

a small vessel for travel on water

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

Chadwick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

ChampnounUS /tʃæmp/

someone who has won first place in a competition

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

constructionnounUS /kənˈstrʌkʃən/

the act of constructing something

From this reading You see, I'm a railroad construction man.

Dr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

GulfnounUS /ɡʌlf/

an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You see, I'm a railroad construction man.

icenounUS /aɪs/

water frozen in the solid state

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

inletnounUS /ˈɪnlet/

an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

jobnounUS /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

Khor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading You see, I'm a railroad construction man.

MusanounUS /ˈmjuːsə/

type genus of the Musaceae: bananas

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

nowherenounUS /ˈnoʊwer/

an insignificant place

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

OurdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

outfitnounUS /ˈaʊtfɪt/

any cohesive unit such as a military company

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

palaververb

speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

pathwaynounUS /ˈpæθweɪ/

a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

PersiannounUS /ˈpɜːrʒən/

a native or inhabitant of Iran

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

railroadnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊd/

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading You see, I'm a railroad construction man.

SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading You see, I'm a railroad construction man.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

Shahpur

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

showedverbUS /ʃoʊd/

past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/

past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

starvingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrvɪŋ/

suffering from lack of food

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

that's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

UnounUS /juː/

a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading And there, out of nowhere, this Dr. Champ Chadwick showed up.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

warpverbUS /wɔːrp/

make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading Our job was finished, and the whole outfit was waiting at Bandar Shahpur, which is on the inlet Khor Musa of the Persian Gulf, for a boat to take us back to America.

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading He seemed to be starving for a little good old U.S.A. palaver, and I guess that's why we struck up an acquaintance.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading _The ice stone was a time warp, a pathway through 500,000 years!_ It all started at Bandar Shahpur.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You see, I'm a railroad construction man.

Chapter 1 of Tickets to Paradise by D. L. (Daniel Lewis) James holds 529 sentences, grouped into 106 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.

What does chapter 1 of Tickets to Paradise contain?

Chapter 1 holds 529 sentences of Tickets to Paradise, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Tickets to Paradise by D. L. (Daniel Lewis) James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 529 sentences, grouped into 106 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Tickets to Paradise?

Work through the 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 106 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Tickets to Paradise

Common questions about reading Tickets to Paradise by D. L. (Daniel Lewis) James on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tickets to Paradise?

Yes. All 529 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64791 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tickets to Paradise is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #64791, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tickets to Paradise take to read?

About 44 minutes of reading across 106 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tickets to Paradise section by section

How to work through Tickets to Paradise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Tickets to Paradise to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Tickets to Paradise

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tickets to Paradise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stone
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tickets to Paradise; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pathway
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tickets to Paradise; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Through
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tickets to Paradise; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Years
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tickets to Paradise; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.