Chapter 1 of When I Grow Up is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of When I Grow Up is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters. Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity. But often enough to make us shudder. Only Richard Lowe remains independent. The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
Chapter 1 of When I Grow Up is here in full — 292 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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.
show in, or as in, a picture
From this reading “_A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “_A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.”
having or showing no mercy
From this reading “Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.”
plural of “monster” — an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading “_A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.”
a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles
From this reading “Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.”
shake, as from cold
From this reading “But often enough to make us shudder.”
plural of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “_A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading “The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.”
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 _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
(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 Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But often enough to make us shudder.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
show in, or as in, a picture
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
characterized by great determination
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading But often enough to make us shudder.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
free from external control and constraint
From this reading Only Richard Lowe remains independent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only Richard Lowe remains independent.
engage in
From this reading But often enough to make us shudder.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
having or showing no mercy
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
plural of “monster” — an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
many times at short intervals
From this reading But often enough to make us shudder.
and nothing more
From this reading Only Richard Lowe remains independent.
by chance
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading Only Richard Lowe remains independent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only Richard Lowe remains independent.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
shake, as from cold
From this reading But often enough to make us shudder.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But often enough to make us shudder.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Not all children perhaps, and not with completely merciless regularity.
plural of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading _A good many science fiction writers seem determined to depict children as little monsters.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The youngster of this story isn't a child monster at all.
Chapter 1 of When I Grow Up by Richard E. Lowe holds 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 292 sentences of When I Grow Up, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of When I Grow Up by Richard E. Lowe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 292 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 When I Grow Up by Richard E. Lowe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 292 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28953 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28953, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 24 minutes of reading across 59 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When I Grow Up section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of When I Grow Up 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 When I Grow Up, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
