Chapter 1 of Cosmic Yo-Yo is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cosmic Yo-Yo is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Want an asteroid in your backyard? We supply 'em cheap. Trouble also handled without charge." Interplanetary Hauling Company. (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
Chapter 1 of Cosmic Yo-Yo is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/114 · 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.
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading “"Want an asteroid in your backyard?”
the grounds in back of a house
From this reading “"Want an asteroid in your backyard?”
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading “We supply 'em cheap.”
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading “(ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.”
having a usually specified type of handle
From this reading “Trouble also handled without charge."”
the activity of transporting goods by truck
From this reading “Interplanetary Hauling Company.”
between or among planets
From this reading “Interplanetary Hauling Company.”
United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading “(ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
in addition
From this reading Trouble also handled without charge."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Want an asteroid in your backyard?
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading "Want an asteroid in your backyard?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
the grounds in back of a house
From this reading "Want an asteroid in your backyard?
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading Trouble also handled without charge."
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading We supply 'em cheap.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Interplanetary Hauling Company.
a quad with a square body
From this reading We supply 'em cheap.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
having a usually specified type of handle
From this reading Trouble also handled without charge."
the activity of transporting goods by truck
From this reading Interplanetary Hauling Company.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Want an asteroid in your backyard?
between or among planets
From this reading Interplanetary Hauling Company.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading We supply 'em cheap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
a source of difficulty
From this reading Trouble also handled without charge."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Want an asteroid in your backyard?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We supply 'em cheap.
(of a leaf shape) narrowly triangular, wider at the apex and tapering toward the base
From this reading (ADVT.) Bob Parker, looking through the photo-amplifiers at the wedge-shaped asteroid, was plainly flabbergasted.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Trouble also handled without charge."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Want an asteroid in your backyard?
Chapter 1 of Cosmic Yo-Yo by Ross Rocklynne holds 574 sentences, grouped into 115 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 1 holds 574 sentences of Cosmic Yo-Yo, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cosmic Yo-Yo by Ross Rocklynne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 574 sentences, grouped into 115 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 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 115 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 1 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 Yo-Yo by Ross Rocklynne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63527 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63527, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 47 minutes of reading across 115 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cosmic Yo-Yo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Cosmic Yo-Yo 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 Yo-Yo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
