Chapter 3 of Space Platform is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Space Platform is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was not a conspicuously sane operation. So near the ground, the plane tended to waver. The air was distinctly bumpy. To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious. But Joe helped.
Chapter 3 of Space Platform is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements
From this reading “The air was distinctly bumpy.”
in a manner tending to attract attention
From this reading “It was not a conspicuously sane operation.”
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.”
mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
From this reading “It was not a conspicuously sane operation.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.”
past form of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
From this reading “So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.”
fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.”
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.”
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 It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air was distinctly bumpy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements
From this reading The air was distinctly bumpy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Joe helped.
in a manner tending to attract attention
From this reading It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading The air was distinctly bumpy.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading But Joe helped.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Joe helped.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
move with force
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
From this reading It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
past form of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not a conspicuously sane operation.
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading So near the ground, the plane tended to waver.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To push a massive box out a doorway, so it would tumble down a thousand feet to desert sands, was not so safe a matter as would let it become tedious.
Chapter 3 of Space Platform by Murray Leinster holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Space Platform, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Space Platform by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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.
Common questions about reading Space Platform by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 410 minutes of reading across 985 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Space Platform section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Space Platform 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 Platform, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
