Chapter 3 of Highwayman of the Void is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Highwayman of the Void is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind. Nolan frowned. The ship was armed--he hadn't known that. Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways. But there was no time for wonder.
Chapter 3 of Highwayman of the Void is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.”
Not allowed; banned or prohibited by rule or law.
From this reading “Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Nolan frowned.”
the act of installing something (as equipment)
From this reading “Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.”
between or among planets
From this reading “Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.”
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading “A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.”
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading “A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.”
(of a fluid) having been propelled about in flying drops or masses
From this reading “A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there was no time for wonder.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But there was no time for wonder.
Not allowed; banned or prohibited by rule or law.
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Nolan frowned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
the act of installing something (as equipment)
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
between or among planets
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
not any; not one
From this reading But there was no time for wonder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nolan frowned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
transport commercially
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
(of a fluid) having been propelled about in flying drops or masses
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A soundless bolt of lightning that splashed against a higher hill behind him drove speculation out of his mind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there was no time for wonder.
a special situation
From this reading Installation of pyros in interplanetary craft was the most forbidden thing of the starways.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But there was no time for wonder.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ship was armed--he hadn't known that.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading But there was no time for wonder.
Chapter 3 of Highwayman of the Void by Frederik Pohl holds 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 3 holds 470 sentences of Highwayman of the Void, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Highwayman of the Void by Frederik Pohl exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 3 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 Highwayman of the Void by Frederik Pohl on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 287 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Highwayman of the Void section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Highwayman of the Void 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 Highwayman of the Void, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
