Chapter 17 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand. Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly. "Thanks, boys," said Strong. "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him. And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
Chapter 17 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
harass with persistent criticism or carping
From this reading “And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."”
plural of “cadet” — a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading “Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.”
a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
From this reading “"If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.”
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading “Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.”
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading “And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."”
possessive form of “skipper” — a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.”
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading “Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “"If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.”
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 And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
harass with persistent criticism or carping
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "Thanks, boys," said Strong.
plural of “cadet” — a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
the act of departing
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
without speaking
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
possessive form of “skipper” — a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading "Thanks, boys," said Strong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading "Thanks, boys," said Strong.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
male cat
From this reading "Spaceman's luck, sir," said Tom, shaking Captain Strong's hand.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the best bait I know is a twenty-million-credit pay roll."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Silently the other two cadets in turn gripped their skipper's hand tightly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If we're going to get that space crawler, we have to trap him.
Chapter 17 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 17 holds 130 sentences of On the Trail of the Space Pirates, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 17 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 On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21092 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21092, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Trail of the Space Pirates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of On the Trail of the Space Pirates 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 On the Trail of the Space Pirates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
