Chapter 8 of Islands of Space is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Islands of Space is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought. "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?" "Yes. Such, they say, is the fact. To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
Chapter 8 of Islands of Space is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 point or degree to which something extends
From this reading “"What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.”
more quickly
From this reading “"They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"”
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading “To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"”
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading “To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"”
plural of “scientist” — a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading “"What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.”
move hurridly
From this reading “"They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Such, they say, is the fact.
more quickly
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
not any; not one
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
express in words
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
plural of “scientist” — a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
move hurridly
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such, they say, is the fact.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They have learned that no body can go faster than the speed of light--is that not so?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
a late time of life
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading To have made this trip, you must, of necessity, be not less than twenty million years old!"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What your scientists say is true, to an extent," Arcot thought.
Chapter 8 of Islands of Space by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 8 holds 443 sentences of Islands of Space, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Islands of Space by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 8 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 Islands of Space by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20988 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20988, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 362 minutes of reading across 870 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Islands of Space section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Islands 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 Islands of Space, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
