Chapter 1 of War in Heaven is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of War in Heaven is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory? An article about space-warfare. _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare. How will it be waged? What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?
Chapter 1 of War in Heaven is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “_Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.”
comparative of “cheap” — relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading “Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “_Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.”
past form of “speculate” — to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading “_Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.”
the branch of military science dealing with detailed maneuvers to achieve objectives set by strategy
From this reading “What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?”
in essence or effect but not in fact
past form of “wage” — carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns)
From this reading “How will it be waged?”
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading An article about space-warfare.
(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 _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An article about space-warfare.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading An article about space-warfare.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading How will it be waged?
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
comparative of “cheap” — relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
the act of departing
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How will it be waged?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How will it be waged?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?
used to form the superlative
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An article about space-warfare.
past form of “speculate” — to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
the branch of military science dealing with detailed maneuvers to achieve objectives set by strategy
From this reading What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
a formal word for “on”
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
the act of using
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
in essence or effect but not in fact
From this reading _Virtually all science fiction authors and most of those who read the stuff have speculated at one time or another upon space-warfare.
past form of “wage” — carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns)
From this reading How will it be waged?
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What will the ships be like, the weapons, the tactics?
at the time that
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
which person or people
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Who is going to use death-rays when solid-shot and space-mines will bring far cheaper victory?
Chapter 1 of War in Heaven by Fletcher Pratt holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 167 sentences of War in Heaven, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of War in Heaven by Fletcher Pratt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 War in Heaven by Fletcher Pratt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through War in Heaven section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of War in Heaven 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 War in Heaven, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
