Chapter 4 of Cosmic Saboteur is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Cosmic Saboteur is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly. "One half of your whole, wide world!" Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room. Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it. He sobered.
Chapter 4 of Cosmic Saboteur is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading “Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
past form of “sober” — cause to become sober
From this reading “He sobered.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
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 “"One half of your whole, wide world!"”
In this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
In this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
have as a guest
In this reading “Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.”
In this reading “Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.”
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 Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
for the reason that
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
the act of departing
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "One half of your whole, wide world!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One half of your whole, wide world!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
past form of “sober” — cause to become sober
From this reading He sobered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sick laughter, because he knew the price he was going to have to pay for it.
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading Stan stared at him coldly for a full minute, then started to laugh--laughter that ripped out of him like waves and washed against the sides of the room.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "One half of your whole, wide world!"
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading "One half of your whole, wide world!"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "Half the world," Mr. Ainsworth said slowly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "One half of your whole, wide world!"
Chapter 4 of Cosmic Saboteur by Frank M. Robinson holds 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 4 holds 88 sentences of Cosmic Saboteur, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Cosmic Saboteur by Frank M. Robinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 4 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 Cosmic Saboteur by Frank M. Robinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2111 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66540 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66540, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 175 minutes of reading across 423 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cosmic Saboteur section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Cosmic Saboteur 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 Cosmic Saboteur, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
