Chapter 1 of Hunters Out of Space is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Hunters Out of Space is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer. It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk. Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond. My wife and daughter had long been asleep. I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
Chapter 1 of Hunters Out of Space is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading “Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.”
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.”
a state in midwestern United States
From this reading “In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.”
without limits in extent or size or quantity
From this reading “Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.”
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.”
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 It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
in a state of sleep
From this reading My wife and daughter had long been asleep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
a female human offspring
From this reading My wife and daughter had long been asleep.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
a state in midwestern United States
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
the literary culture
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
without limits in extent or size or quantity
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading My wife and daughter had long been asleep.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
the season of growth
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
under normal conditions
From this reading In Kansas, spring usually falls on the day before summer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It had been such a day, and now at midnight I was sitting at my desk.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Both hands of the clock were pointing to the ceiling--and to the limitless stars beyond.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading My wife and daughter had long been asleep.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
produce a literary work
From this reading I had stayed up to write a few letters but it was not a night for working.
Chapter 1 of Hunters Out of Space by Joseph E. (Joseph Everidge) Kelleam holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 79 sentences of Hunters Out of Space, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Hunters Out of Space by Joseph E. (Joseph Everidge) Kelleam exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Hunters Out of Space by Joseph E. (Joseph Everidge) Kelleam on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3693 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 307 minutes of reading across 739 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hunters Out of Space section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Hunters Out of Space 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 Hunters Out of Space, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
