Chapter 2 of Lone Star Planet is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Lone Star Planet is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty. They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office. "What did he do to you, Silk?" Courtlant Staynes asked, amusedly. "Demoted me.
Chapter 2 of Lone Star Planet is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
an expectation
From this reading “They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.”
past form of “demote” — assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
From this reading “"Demoted me.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.”
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading “The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.”
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.”
possessive form of “secretary” — a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.”
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading “"What did he do to you, Silk?"”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Courtlant Staynes asked, amusedly.
an expectation
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Courtlant Staynes asked, amusedly.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Courtlant Staynes asked, amusedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
past form of “demote” — assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
From this reading "Demoted me.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "What did he do to you, Silk?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What did he do to you, Silk?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What did he do to you, Silk?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Demoted me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
possessive form of “secretary” — a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading "What did he do to you, Silk?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Courtlant Staynes asked, amusedly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading The death-watch outside had grown to about fifteen or twenty.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were all waiting in happy anticipation as I came out of the Secretary's office.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What did he do to you, Silk?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What did he do to you, Silk?"
Chapter 2 of Lone Star Planet by H. Beam Piper holds 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 2 holds 184 sentences of Lone Star Planet, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Lone Star Planet by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 2 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 Lone Star Planet by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2033 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20121 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20121, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 407 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lone Star Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Lone Star Planet 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 Lone Star Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
