Chapter 1 of World Edge is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of World Edge is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Above him were a thousand different-colored moons. Beside him was the girl. Across the room the dragon glowered. And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out. Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
Chapter 1 of World Edge is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading “And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.”
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading “Across the room the dragon glowered.”
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading “And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.”
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “Across the room the dragon glowered.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.”
English physician and scientist who described the circulation of the blood; he later proposed that all animals originate from an ovum produced by the female of the species (1578-1657)
From this reading “And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.”
plural of “moon” — the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “_Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.”
a light shade of red
From this reading “Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.”
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 “Across the room the dragon glowered.”
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 _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Across the room the dragon glowered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Beside him was the girl.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading Across the room the dragon glowered.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
a young female
From this reading Beside him was the girl.
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading Across the room the dragon glowered.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
English physician and scientist who described the circulation of the blood; he later proposed that all animals originate from an ovum produced by the female of the species (1578-1657)
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
plural of “moon” — the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
a light shade of red
From this reading Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Across the room the dragon glowered.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Above him he could see the flat pink half-sphere of the sky.
not in physical motion
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Beside him was the girl.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
hard to endure
From this reading And outside, not far away, was...._ Harvey Crane was lying flat on his back, though how he had gotten there he was still trying to figure out.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Beside him was the girl.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Above him were a thousand different-colored moons.
Chapter 1 of World Edge by Jack Egan holds 281 sentences, grouped into 57 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 281 sentences of World Edge, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of World Edge by Jack Egan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 281 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 World Edge by Jack Egan 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 World Edge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of World Edge 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 World Edge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
