Chapter 6 of Beyond the stars is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Beyond the stars is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She checked herself suddenly. Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration. Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg. “Sonya, what is that? Just for ornament?
Chapter 6 of Beyond the stars is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “She checked herself suddenly.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
confined on all sides
From this reading “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
From this reading “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.”
make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading “Just for ornament?”
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles
From this reading “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
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 “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
In this reading “Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.”
In this reading “Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.”
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 Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
favorite
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading She checked herself suddenly.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
confined on all sides
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Just for ornament?
a long fixed look
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She checked herself suddenly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Sonya, what is that?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
and nothing more
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading Just for ornament?
above and across; more than
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
-ing form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She checked herself suddenly.
a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sonya, what is that?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She checked herself suddenly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
having come into contact
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Sonya, what is that?
a Caucasian
From this reading Dolores moved over on the low couch; her hand plucked at the hem of Sonya’s smock as it lay just above her knees and touched the smooth white metal band that encircled her leg.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Alice was regarding her with a blue-eyed gaze of quite obvious admiration.
Chapter 6 of Beyond the stars by Ray Cummings holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 6 holds 418 sentences of Beyond the stars, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Beyond the stars by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 6 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 the stars by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4531 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 377 minutes of reading across 907 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beyond the stars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Beyond the stars 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 the stars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
