Chapter 3 of Beyond our control is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Beyond our control is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped. The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth. "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly. The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him. "Get a reading on that new orbit!"
Chapter 3 of Beyond our control is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading “The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.”
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading “After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.”
-ing form of “coast” — move effortlessly; by force of gravity
From this reading “The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.”
in a not unlawful manner
From this reading “The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.”
plural of “jet” — an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading “After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.”
the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
From this reading “After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.”
man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
From this reading “After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.”
as a verb
From this reading “The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.”
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 After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
later than; following
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
-ing form of “coast” — move effortlessly; by force of gravity
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
one or the other of two
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get a reading on that new orbit!"
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
in a not unlawful manner
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
plural of “jet” — an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
held up in the air
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "Get a reading on that new orbit!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading "Get a reading on that new orbit!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
without speaking
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
with low volume
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Get a reading on that new orbit!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
as a verb
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well--I'll--be--damned!" said MacIlheny softly.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The artificial moon went on coasting innocently around the Earth.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading After a few short bursts which lifted the satellite up into a higher orbit, the jets stopped.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The others, either silently or verbally, agreed with him.
Chapter 3 of Beyond our control by Randall Garrett holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 3 holds 206 sentences of Beyond our control, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Beyond our control by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 3 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 Beyond our control by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71821 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71821, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 42 minutes of reading across 102 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beyond our control section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Beyond our control 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 Beyond our control, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
