Chapter 8 of Operation Interstellar is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Operation Interstellar is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?" "Just polishing up my talk," he said. "I'm due to lecture in an hour." "Well, don't be nervous." "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
Chapter 8 of Operation Interstellar is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"”
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"”
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading “"I'm due to lecture in an hour."”
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading “"I'm due to lecture in an hour."”
easily agitated
From this reading “"Well, don't be nervous."”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"”
the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it
From this reading “"Just polishing up my talk," he said.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “"Just polishing up my talk," he said.”
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.
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, don't be nervous."
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, don't be nervous."
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
owed and payable immediately or on demand
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
at any time
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
the act of departing
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
and nothing more
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
easily agitated
From this reading "Well, don't be nervous."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm due to lecture in an hour."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Just polishing up my talk," he said.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Stacey's voice was as dry as ever, "Busy, Paul?"
(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 "Well, don't be nervous."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I'd be less nervous if I knew what was going on."
Chapter 8 of Operation Interstellar by George O. (George Oliver) Smith holds 203 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.
Chapter 8 holds 203 sentences of Operation Interstellar, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Operation Interstellar by George O. (George Oliver) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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 Operation Interstellar by George O. (George Oliver) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3893 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50406 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50406, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 779 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Operation Interstellar section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Operation Interstellar 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 Operation Interstellar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
