Chapter 10 of Beyond the stars is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Beyond the stars is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jim jumped for it. He struck it. His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes. The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg. Noisome!
Chapter 10 of Beyond the stars is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 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.
shining intensely
From this reading “His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.”
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading “The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.”
animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds
From this reading “The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.”
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Jim jumped for it.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.”
very drunk
From this reading “The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “He struck it.”
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 “His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
shining intensely
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Jim jumped for it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He struck it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Jim jumped for it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim jumped for it.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Jim jumped for it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
causing or able to cause nausea
From this reading Noisome!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
very drunk
From this reading The face smashed, cracked like the shell of an egg.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading He struck it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His fist struck the great face between its green blazing eyes.
Chapter 10 of Beyond the stars by Ray Cummings holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 10 holds 415 sentences of Beyond the stars, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Beyond the stars by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 10 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.
