Chapter 1 of Traitor's Choice is here in full — 312 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Traitor's Choice is here in full — 312 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die! The phonovision bell rang. Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk. He spoke absently. "Yes?"
Chapter 1 of Traitor's Choice is here in full — 312 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/62 · 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.
plural of “alien” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading “Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!”
something intended as a guide for making something else
From this reading “Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.”
inflected form of “comply” — act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
From this reading “Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!”
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading “Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!”
United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972)
From this reading “Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!”
tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
From this reading “Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.”
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 “Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!”
In this reading “Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.”
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 Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading He spoke absently.
plural of “alien” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The phonovision bell rang.
something intended as a guide for making something else
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
inflected form of “comply” — act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
opinion or judgment
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
provoking horror
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972)
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
engage in
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The phonovision bell rang.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The phonovision bell rang.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He spoke absently.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Reed Kendall reached for the switch, not taking his eyes off the blueprint that lay on his desk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Kendall had a difficult decision to make; if he defied the aliens Clare faced a horrible death; if he complied a whole planet must die!
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes?"
Chapter 1 of Traitor's Choice by Paul W. Fairman holds 312 sentences, grouped into 63 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 312 sentences of Traitor's Choice, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Traitor's Choice by Paul W. Fairman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 312 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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 Traitor's Choice by Paul W. Fairman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 312 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66753 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66753, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 26 minutes of reading across 63 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Traitor's Choice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Traitor's Choice 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 Traitor's Choice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
