Chapter 1 of Vital Ingredient is here in full — 314 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 Vital Ingredient is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title. He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch. This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?" Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach. "Nothing," Frankie answered.
Chapter 1 of Vital Ingredient is here in full — 314 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.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading “Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.”
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading “Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.”
someone who has won first place in a competition
From this reading “This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"”
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading “He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.”
deceive by a mock action
From this reading “He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.”
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading “He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.”
trying something to find out about it
From this reading “_Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.”
the contestant who wins the contest
From this reading “_Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
in addition
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Nothing," Frankie answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
someone who has won first place in a competition
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
command with authority
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
deceive by a mock action
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
in the recent past
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing," Frankie answered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
and nothing more
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
deliver a quick blow to
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
trying something to find out about it
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach.
a special situation
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
the contestant who wins the contest
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading _Frankie was ready for the big test--Ten-Time Winner of the world title.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This left only one thing in doubt, the----_ "Champ, what's with ya lately?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He was young and fit and able; also, he had Milt's cunning brain to direct every feint and punch.
Chapter 1 of Vital Ingredient by Gerald Vance holds 314 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 314 sentences of Vital Ingredient, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Vital Ingredient by Gerald Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 314 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 Vital Ingredient by Gerald Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 314 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27797 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27797, 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 Vital Ingredient section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Vital Ingredient 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 Vital Ingredient, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
