Chapter III of Secret of the Earth Star, “Legion of the Lost,” is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter III of Secret of the Earth Star, “Legion of the Lost,” is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion. Eh?” Tony looked him over. The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive. But, somehow, the little man was not.
Chapter III of Secret of the Earth Star, “Legion of the Lost,” is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading “The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.”
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading “The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading ““So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.”
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading ““So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.”
archaic terms for army
From this reading ““So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.”
outlying areas (as of a city or town)
From this reading “The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.”
having the beard or hair cut off close to the skin
From this reading ““So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.”
not capable of impressing
From this reading “The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.”
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.
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, somehow, the little man was not.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eh?”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tony looked him over.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
archaic terms for army
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Tony looked him over.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But, somehow, the little man was not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
outlying areas (as of a city or town)
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
above and across; more than
From this reading Tony looked him over.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
having the beard or hair cut off close to the skin
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading But, somehow, the little man was not.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tony looked him over.
not capable of impressing
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dingy office in the outskirts of the North African city was unimpressive.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “So,” said the fat little man with the shaved head, “so you want to join the Legion.
Chapter 3 of Secret of the Earth Star by Henry Kuttner holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 388 sentences of Secret of the Earth Star, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Secret of the Earth Star by Henry Kuttner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Secret of the Earth Star, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
