Chapter 3 of Mirage for Planet X is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Mirage for Planet X is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough. Getting out again promised to be more so. If he ever got out. The office door was opening slowly. Silently Torry glided behind it.
Chapter 3 of Mirage for Planet X is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.
From this reading “Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.”
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading “Silently Torry glided behind it.”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “The office door was opening slowly.”
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “The office door was opening slowly.”
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading “Getting out again promised to be more so.”
without speaking
From this reading “Silently Torry glided behind it.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “If he ever got out.”
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.
anew
From this reading Getting out again promised to be more so.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Getting out again promised to be more so.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Silently Torry glided behind it.
A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The office door was opening slowly.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
at any time
From this reading If he ever got out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading Silently Torry glided behind it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading If he ever got out.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he ever got out.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he ever got out.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Silently Torry glided behind it.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Getting out again promised to be more so.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The office door was opening slowly.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading The office door was opening slowly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Getting out again promised to be more so.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading Getting out again promised to be more so.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
without speaking
From this reading Silently Torry glided behind it.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The office door was opening slowly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Getting out again promised to be more so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Getting into the citadel to see Ferax had been interesting enough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Silently Torry glided behind it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The office door was opening slowly.
Chapter 3 of Mirage for Planet X by Stanley Mullen holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 3 holds 409 sentences of Mirage for Planet X, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mirage for Planet X by Stanley Mullen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 3 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 Mirage for Planet X by Stanley Mullen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1649 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63721 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63721, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 137 minutes of reading across 330 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mirage for Planet X section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Mirage for Planet X 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 Mirage for Planet X, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
