Chapter 9 of Life in a Thousand Worlds is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Life in a Thousand Worlds is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A World of Low Life. On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world. "Notched Rod" language explained. Lizard like human forms. No Scumite knows who is his father or mother. A big Scumite battle witnessed. Illustration.
Chapter 9 of Life in a Thousand Worlds is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/1 · 7 reading units · Lines 1–7
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.
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “Illustration.”
relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail
From this reading “Lizard like human forms.”
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading “On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.”
notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
From this reading “"Notched Rod" language explained.”
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “"Notched Rod" language explained.”
worthless people
From this reading “On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.”
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading “On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.”
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading “A big Scumite battle witnessed.”
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 World of Low Life.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading A big Scumite battle witnessed.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A big Scumite battle witnessed.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
have an existence, be extant
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Notched Rod" language explained.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Lizard like human forms.
set up or found
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Lizard like human forms.
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading Illustration.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading "Notched Rod" language explained.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A World of Low Life.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Lizard like human forms.
relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail
From this reading Lizard like human forms.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading A World of Low Life.
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
not any; not one
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
From this reading "Notched Rod" language explained.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A World of Low Life.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading "Notched Rod" language explained.
worthless people
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
which person or people
From this reading No Scumite knows who is his father or mother.
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading A big Scumite battle witnessed.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading A World of Low Life.
Chapter 9 of Life in a Thousand Worlds by W. S. (William Shuler) Harris holds 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 9 holds 7 sentences of Life in a Thousand Worlds, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Life in a Thousand Worlds by W. S. (William Shuler) Harris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 2 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 9 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 Life in a Thousand Worlds by W. S. (William Shuler) Harris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2641 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14770 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14770, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 220 minutes of reading across 529 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Life in a Thousand Worlds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Life in a Thousand Worlds 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 Life in a Thousand Worlds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
