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On the Trail of the Space Pirates
On the Trail of the Space Pirates

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for On the Trail of the Space Pirates
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.
"All right, Steve," nodded the commander.
"I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.
Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."
"Very well, sir," said Strong.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

On the Trail of the Space Pirates

Chapter IX · Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.
Line 2
"All right, Steve," nodded the commander.
Line 3
"I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.
Line 4
Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."
Line 5
"Very well, sir," said Strong.
/ˈveri wel sɜːr sed strɔːŋ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bartender noun US /ˈbɑːrtendər/

an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar

From this reading “"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.”

commander noun US /kəˈmændər/

an officer in command of a military unit

From this reading “"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.”

Meantime noun US /ˈmiːntaɪm/

the time between one event, process, or period and another

From this reading “Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."”

Nicholas noun US /ˈnɪkələs/

a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)

From this reading “Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."”

related adjective US /rɪˈleɪtɪd/

being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics

From this reading “"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.”

Solar adjective US /ˈsoʊlər/

relating to or derived from the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun

From this reading “"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.”

Venus noun US /ˈviːnəs/

the second nearest planet to the sun

From this reading “Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."”

Walters noun US /ˈwɔːltərz/

plural of “walter” — German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading “"That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 "All right, Steve," nodded the commander.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

Astro

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

BarnounUS /bɑːr/

a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

bartendernounUS /ˈbɑːrtendər/

an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

captainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

CommandernounUS /kəˈmændər/

an officer in command of a military unit

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

GuardnounUS /ɡɑːrd/

a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

I'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

informationnounUS /ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

a message received and understood

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

MeantimenounUS /ˈmiːntaɪm/

the time between one event, process, or period and another

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

NicholasnounUS /ˈnɪkələs/

a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

noddedverbUS /ˈnɑːdəd/

inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding

From this reading "All right, Steve," nodded the commander.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

pickedverbUS /pɪkt/

past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

psychographed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

relatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈleɪtɪd/

being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "All right, Steve," nodded the commander.

Roger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

Shinnynoun

a simple version of hockey played by children on the streets (or on ice or on a field) using a ball or can as the puck

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

SolaradjectiveUS /ˈsoʊlər/

relating to or derived from the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

Spacelanes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

Steve

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "All right, Steve," nodded the commander.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

StrongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

That's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "I'll have the man picked up right away and psychographed.

VenusnounUS /ˈviːnəs/

the second nearest planet to the sun

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

VeryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "Very well, sir," said Strong.

WaltersnounUS /ˈwɔːltərz/

plural of “walter” — German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Very well, sir," said Strong.

wormed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "That's the story, sir," said Strong to Commander Walters, after the Solar Guard captain had related the information he had wormed out of the bartender at the Spacelanes Bar and the news Roger and Astro had brought.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Meantime, you go on to Venus and see Nicholas Shinny."

Chapter 9 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

What does chapter 9 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates contain?

Chapter 9 holds 205 sentences of On the Trail of the Space Pirates, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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.

How do I study chapter 9 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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.

Can chapter 9 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading On the Trail of the Space Pirates

Common questions about reading On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of On the Trail of the Space Pirates?

Yes. All 4414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21092 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of On the Trail of the Space Pirates is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #21092, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does On the Trail of the Space Pirates take to read?

About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read On the Trail of the Space Pirates section by section

How to work through On the Trail of the Space Pirates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of On the Trail of the Space Pirates to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in On the Trail of the Space Pirates

Words and structures a reader meets early in On the Trail of the Space Pirates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Aboard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On the Trail of the Space Pirates; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Metallic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On the Trail of the Space Pirates; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Voice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On the Trail of the Space Pirates; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rasped
A word that appears in the opening chapter of On the Trail of the Space Pirates; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.