Chapter 1 of Proxy Planeteers is here in full — 505 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Proxy Planeteers is here in full — 505 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Doug Norris hesitated for an instant. He knew that another movement might well mean disaster. Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly. The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees. And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
Chapter 1 of Proxy Planeteers is here in full — 505 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/101 · 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.
lacking fresh air
From this reading “Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.”
being or suggesting a cavern
From this reading “Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.”
a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading “The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.”
a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
From this reading “Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.”
United States writer (1870-1902)
From this reading “Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.”
make a low noise
From this reading “And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.”
continuously varying
From this reading “And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.”
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.
In this reading “Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.”
In this reading “And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.”
In this reading “Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.”
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 rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
lacking fresh air
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
being or suggesting a cavern
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
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 He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
United States writer (1870-1902)
From this reading Doug Norris hesitated for an instant.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
make a low noise
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
continuously varying
From this reading And he could hear the deep rumble of shifting rock, close by.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Here deep in the cavernous interior of airless Mercury, catastrophe could strike suddenly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The rocks of the fissure he was following had a temperature of hundreds of degrees.
(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 He knew that another movement might well mean disaster.
Chapter 1 of Proxy Planeteers by Edmond Hamilton holds 505 sentences, grouped into 101 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 1 holds 505 sentences of Proxy Planeteers, unabridged, divided into 101 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Proxy Planeteers by Edmond Hamilton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 505 sentences, grouped into 101 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 101 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 101 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 1 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 Proxy Planeteers by Edmond Hamilton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Proxy Planeteers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Proxy Planeteers 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 Proxy Planeteers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
