Chapter 1 of "Utopia? Never!" is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of "Utopia? Never!" is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"UTOPIA? NEVER!" _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough. Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied. "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
Chapter 1 of "Utopia? Never!" is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
make certain of
From this reading “Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.”
the status of a citizen with rights and duties
From this reading “_The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.”
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading “Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.”
semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
From this reading “"There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.”
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “_The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.”
a book written by Sir Thomas More (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island
From this reading “"UTOPIA?”
someone who visits
From this reading “"There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.”
in a willing manner
From this reading “_The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.”
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.
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 _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
make certain of
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
the status of a citizen with rights and duties
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading NEVER!"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
a book written by Sir Thomas More (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island
From this reading "UTOPIA?
someone who visits
From this reading "There's always a fly in the ointment," the visitor continued.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
in a willing manner
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading _The stranger would not admit that New Katanga was a paradise, though he accepted citizenship willingly enough.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Little did he know that he was right._ "But I assure you ..." his guide replied.
Chapter 1 of "Utopia? Never!" by Thomas M. Disch holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 111 sentences of "Utopia? Never!", unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of "Utopia? Never!" by Thomas M. Disch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in "Utopia? Never!", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
