Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Healing Rays in Space
Healing Rays in Space

Chapter I · Strange Bargain

Chapter I of Healing Rays in Space, “Strange Bargain,” is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Healing Rays in Space
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.
There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.
One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.
Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.
Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Healing Rays in Space

Chapter I · Strange Bargain

Chapter I of Healing Rays in Space, “Strange Bargain,” is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.
Line 2
There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.
Line 3
One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.
/wʌn ɪnˈtaɪər wɔːl speɪs wɑːz ˈteɪkən ʌp baɪ ə tʃɑːrt ʌv ðə ˈsoʊlər ˈsɪstəm/
Line 4
Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.
Line 5
Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Astral adjective US /ˈæstrəl/

being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars

From this reading “Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.”

chart noun US /tʃɑːrt/

a visual display of information

From this reading “One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.”

dotted adjective US /ˈdɑːtəd/

having a pattern of dots

From this reading “Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.”

label verb US /ˈleɪbəl/

assign a label to; designate with a label

From this reading “Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.”

Marshall noun US /ˈmɑːrʃəl/

United States actor (1914-1998)

pins noun US /pɪnz/

plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment

From this reading “Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.”

solar adjective US /ˈsoʊlər/

relating to or derived from the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun

From this reading “One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.”

wisp noun US /wɪsp/

a small tuft or lock

From this reading “There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

solar system adjective + noun

the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field

In this reading “One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.”

wheel chair verb + noun

In this reading “There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

1990

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

2055

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

AstraladjectiveUS /ˈæstrəl/

being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

BelowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

chartnounUS /tʃɑːrt/

a visual display of information

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

CommercenounUS /ˈkɑːmərs/

transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services)

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

dottedadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːtəd/

having a pattern of dots

From this reading Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.

entireadjectiveUS /ɪnˈtaɪər/

constituting the full quantity or extent; complete

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

expensiveadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspensɪv/

high in price or charging high prices

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

labelverbUS /ˈleɪbəl/

assign a label to; designate with a label

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

librarynounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.

LinesnounUS /laɪnz/

plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

markedadjectiveUS /mɑːrkt/

strongly marked; easily noticeable

From this reading Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.

MarshallnounUS /ˈmɑːrʃəl/

United States actor (1914-1998)

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

monstrousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːnstrəs/

abnormally large

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

occupantsnounUS /ˈɑːkjəpənts/

plural of “occupant” — someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

pinsnounUS /pɪnz/

plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment

From this reading Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.

platinum-and-teakwood

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.

rednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.

solaradjectiveUS /ˈsoʊlər/

relating to or derived from the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

spacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

Spaceports

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Spaceports, marked by red pins, dotted the entire chart.

systemnounUS /ˈsɪstəm/

instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Below the chart was the label: _Marshall Space Lines, 1990 to 2055, First In Astral Commerce_.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

vitrilex

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading One entire wall space was taken up by a chart of the solar system.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The big library was of platinum-and-teakwood.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

wheelverbUS /wiːl/

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

wispnounUS /wɪsp/

a small tuft or lock

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

woreverbUS /wɔːr/

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading There were two occupants, a monstrous man who wore expensive vitrilex, and a wisp of a girl in a wheel chair.

Chapter 1 of Healing Rays in Space by J. Harvey (John Harvey) Haggard holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 1 of Healing Rays in Space contain?

Chapter 1 holds 146 sentences of Healing Rays in Space, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Healing Rays in Space by J. Harvey (John Harvey) Haggard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Healing Rays in Space?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Healing Rays in Space

Common questions about reading Healing Rays in Space by J. Harvey (John Harvey) Haggard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Healing Rays in Space?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Healing Rays in Space is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Healing Rays in Space take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Healing Rays in Space section by section

How to work through Healing Rays in Space section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of Healing Rays in Space to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Healing Rays in Space

Words and structures a reader meets early in Healing Rays in Space, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Healing Rays in Space, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Healing Rays in Space, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Healing Rays in Space, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.