Chapter 5 of Space Viking is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Space Viking is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You don't begin to. Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?" "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort. We can find no fissionables on this planet." "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
Chapter 5 of Space Viking is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"You don't begin to.”
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading “"The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.”
every person
From this reading “"The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.”
the aggregate of past events
From this reading “"From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.”
(weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy
From this reading “Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “We can find no fissionables on this planet."”
the length of a line segment between the center and circumference of a circle or sphere
From this reading “"The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.”
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"”
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 "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
any thing at all
From this reading Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "You don't begin to.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading We can find no fissionables on this planet."
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't begin to.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
every person
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading We can find no fissionables on this planet."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We can find no fissionables on this planet."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
ten 10s
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
not any; not one
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
(weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy
From this reading Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We can find no fissionables on this planet."
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading We can find no fissionables on this planet."
possession of controlling influence
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
the length of a line segment between the center and circumference of a circle or sphere
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We can find no fissionables on this planet."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You don't begin to.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "From history; we have no nuclear power of any sort.
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading Do you know anything about nuclear weapons?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "The cost, as you put it, would be everything and everybody in Eglonsby and for a radius of almost a hundred miles.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You don't begin to.
Chapter 5 of Space Viking by H. Beam Piper holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 5 holds 436 sentences of Space Viking, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Space Viking by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 5 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 Viking by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4768 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 397 minutes of reading across 954 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Space Viking section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Space Viking 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 Viking, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
