Chapter 12 of Lords of the Stratosphere is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Lords of the Stratosphere is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_High Chaos_ The plane moved forward. Its tail swung around. Its wheels headed for the door. They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off. The plane was held as in a vise.
Chapter 12 of Lords of the Stratosphere is here in full — 77 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.
closed to traffic
From this reading “They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.”
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
ranking above all others
From this reading “They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.”
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading “Its wheels headed for the door.”
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “_High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.”
plural of “pursuer” — a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading “They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.”
a holding device attached to a workbench; has two jaws to hold workpiece firmly in place
From this reading “The plane was held as in a vise.”
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading “Its wheels headed for the door.”
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 The plane was held as in a vise.
(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 dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Its tail swung around.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The plane was held as in a vise.
closed to traffic
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading _High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Its wheels headed for the door.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
in an effectual manner
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Its wheels headed for the door.
ranking above all others
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading _High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading Its wheels headed for the door.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The plane was held as in a vise.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading _High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The plane was held as in a vise.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its tail swung around.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading _High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading _High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.
plural of “pursuer” — a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading Its tail swung around.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading Its tail swung around.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _High Chaos_ The plane moved forward.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
a holding device attached to a workbench; has two jaws to hold workpiece firmly in place
From this reading The plane was held as in a vise.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The plane was held as in a vise.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading Its wheels headed for the door.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers, all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
Chapter 12 of Lords of the Stratosphere by Arthur J. Burks holds 77 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 12 holds 77 sentences of Lords of the Stratosphere, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Lords of the Stratosphere by Arthur J. Burks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 77 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 12 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 Lords of the Stratosphere by Arthur J. Burks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1721 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29466, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 143 minutes of reading across 345 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lords of the Stratosphere section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Lords of the Stratosphere 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 Lords of the Stratosphere, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
