Chapter 21 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April is here in full — 1592 sentences across 319 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April is here in full — 1592 sentences across 319 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion. My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it. Something lay like a weight on me. I could not seem to move my left arm. Very queer!
Chapter 21 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April is here in full — 1592 sentences across 319 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/318 · 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.
become glassy; lose clear vision
From this reading “_The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.”
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading “_The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.”
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “_The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I could not seem to move my left arm.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Very queer!”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.”
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading “Something lay like a weight on me.”
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 _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading I could not seem to move my left arm.
become glassy; lose clear vision
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could not seem to move my left arm.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
opinion or judgment
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
be the source of pain
From this reading My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Something lay like a weight on me.
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 I could not seem to move my left arm.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Something lay like a weight on me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Something lay like a weight on me.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I could not seem to move my left arm.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I could not seem to move my left arm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Something lay like a weight on me.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Very queer!
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I could not seem to move my left arm.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something lay like a weight on me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading My shoulder hurt--a pain shooting through it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _The Hiss of Death_ I opened my eyes to a dark blur of confusion.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very queer!
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading Something lay like a weight on me.
Chapter 21 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April by Harry [Editor] Bates holds 1592 sentences, grouped into 319 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 21 holds 1592 sentences of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April, unabridged, divided into 319 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April by Harry [Editor] Bates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1592 sentences, grouped into 319 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 319 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 319 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 21 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 Astounding Stories of Super-Science April by Harry [Editor] Bates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5770 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29390 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29390, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 480 minutes of reading across 1154 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Astounding Stories of Super-Science April section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Astounding Stories of Super-Science April 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 Astounding Stories of Super-Science April, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
