Chapter 3 of Space Station 1 is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Space Station 1 is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He started swearing under his breath. Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face. He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away. Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians. They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
Chapter 3 of Space Station 1 is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “civilian” — a nonmilitary citizen
From this reading “Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.”
having a specified kind of border or edge
From this reading “Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.”
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading “Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.”
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading “Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.”
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading “He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “He started swearing under his breath.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.”
temporarily
In this reading “He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.”
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.”
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 Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading He started swearing under his breath.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
plural of “civilian” — a nonmilitary citizen
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
having a specified kind of border or edge
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He started swearing under his breath.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He started swearing under his breath.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
a particular point in time
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
on one occasion
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
with speed
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He started swearing under his breath.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading He looked at Corriston steadily for a moment, then looked quickly away.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading He started swearing under his breath.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Corriston edged slowly away from him and joined the nearest group of civilians.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he saw Corriston and a strange look came into his face.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He started swearing under his breath.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They were all talking at once and it was hard to understand precisely what they were saying.
Chapter 3 of Space Station 1 by Frank Belknap Long holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Space Station 1, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Space Station 1 by Frank Belknap Long exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Station 1 by Frank Belknap Long on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3603 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50290 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50290, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 300 minutes of reading across 721 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Space Station 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Space Station 1 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 Station 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
