Chapter 4 of Space-Liner X-87 is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Space-Liner X-87 is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Torio, too, was smiling. They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains. "Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously. "Lock him up in one of the cubbies. Have one of the men feed him."
Chapter 4 of Space-Liner X-87 is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading “"Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously.”
plural of “cubby” — a small secluded room
From this reading “"Lock him up in one of the cubbies.”
provide as food
From this reading “Have one of the men feed him."”
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading “They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.”
fasten with a lock
From this reading “"Lock him up in one of the cubbies.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Torio, too, was smiling.”
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading “They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.”
plural of “villain” — a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.”
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 “They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.”
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.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading "Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously.
plural of “cubby” — a small secluded room
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
provide as food
From this reading Have one of the men feed him."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Have one of the men feed him."
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
fasten with a lock
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
the force of workers available
From this reading Have one of the men feed him."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Torio, too, was smiling.
carry out
From this reading "Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Torio, too, was smiling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Torio, too, was smiling.
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Lock him up in one of the cubbies.
plural of “villain” — a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Torio, too, was smiling.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They were highly pleased with themselves, these triumphant villains.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Take Penelle with you," Torio said contemptuously.
Chapter 4 of Space-Liner X-87 by Ray Cummings holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 4 holds 392 sentences of Space-Liner X-87, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Space-Liner X-87 by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 4 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 Space-Liner X-87 by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1624 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61845 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61845, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 135 minutes of reading across 325 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Space-Liner X-87 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Space-Liner X-87 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 Space-Liner X-87, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
