Chapter 4 of Space Platform is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Space Platform is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He took that step. The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror. The lanky man stiffened convulsively. He couldn't stop. He knew it.
Chapter 4 of Space Platform is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.”
inflected form of “freeze” — stop moving or become immobilized
From this reading “The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.”
tall and thin and having long slender limbs
From this reading “The lanky man stiffened convulsively.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “He took that step.”
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading “The lanky man stiffened convulsively.”
having a short and solid form or stature
From this reading “The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.”
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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
with convulsions, in a convulsive way
From this reading The lanky man stiffened convulsively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't stop.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
inflected form of “freeze” — stop moving or become immobilized
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took that step.
intense and profound fear
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He knew it.
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 it.
tall and thin and having long slender limbs
From this reading The lanky man stiffened convulsively.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The lanky man stiffened convulsively.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He took that step.
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading The lanky man stiffened convulsively.
having a short and solid form or stature
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading He couldn't stop.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He took that step.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The stocky man's face abruptly froze in horror.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took that step.
Chapter 4 of Space Platform by Murray Leinster holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Space Platform, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Space Platform by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 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.
