Chapter 2 of A Spaceship Named McGuire is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Spaceship Named McGuire is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing. Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder. "Decelerating toward Ceres," she said. "Want to take over from here on?" Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
Chapter 2 of A Spaceship Named McGuire is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading “When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.”
(Roman mythology) goddess of agriculture; counterpart of Greek Demeter
From this reading “When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.”
-ing form of “decelerate” — lose velocity; move more slowly
From this reading “"Decelerating toward Ceres," she said.”
plural of “earphone” — electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear
From this reading “Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.”
a state of affairs in which you have no privacy
From this reading “Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.”
-ing form of “snooze” — sleep lightly or for a short period of time
From this reading “When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.”
of or containing tin
From this reading “Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
(Roman mythology) goddess of agriculture; counterpart of Greek Demeter
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
-ing form of “decelerate” — lose velocity; move more slowly
From this reading "Decelerating toward Ceres," she said.
plural of “earphone” — electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
a state of affairs in which you have no privacy
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
above and across; more than
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Decelerating toward Ceres," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Decelerating toward Ceres," she said.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Jack reached forward and shook my shoulder.
-ing form of “snooze” — sleep lightly or for a short period of time
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
carry out
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
of or containing tin
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
in the direction of
From this reading "Decelerating toward Ceres," she said.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her voice sounded tinny and tired in the earphones of my fishbowl.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Want to take over from here on?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
at the time that
From this reading When the Ceres beacon came into view, I was snoozing.
Chapter 2 of A Spaceship Named McGuire by Randall Garrett holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 2 holds 447 sentences of A Spaceship Named McGuire, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Spaceship Named McGuire by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 2 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 A Spaceship Named McGuire by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1348 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 112 minutes of reading across 270 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Spaceship Named McGuire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of A Spaceship Named McGuire 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 A Spaceship Named McGuire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
