Chapter 8 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously. He saw me go up the spider-stairs. He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top. He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat. For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.
Chapter 8 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.”
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading “He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “_Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “_Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
being in captivity
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading “He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.”
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading “He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.”
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading “_Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
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 “_Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
In this reading “For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.”
In this reading “For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.”
In this reading “He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.”
move upward
In this reading “He saw me go up the spider-stairs.”
In this reading “_Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.”
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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He saw me go up the spider-stairs.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw me go up the spider-stairs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
being in captivity
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant the duty-man stood amazed.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
most important element
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw me go up the spider-stairs.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He saw me go up the spider-stairs.
having a supporting base
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.
the upper part of anything
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He saw me go up the spider-stairs.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He saw me join Wilks, saw us locked together in combat.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could see the figure he thought was Wilks, standing at the top.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading _Imprisoned!_ The duty-man at the exit locks of the main building stood at his window and watched me curiously.
Chapter 8 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 by Various holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 8 holds 159 sentences of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 8 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, May, 1930 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6390 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29809 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29809, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 532 minutes of reading across 1278 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 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, May, 1930, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
