Chapter 9 of Space Viking is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Space Viking is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, my King says I am. And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret. I don't have to do what anybody tells me." "Gee! Are you a tyrant?
Chapter 9 of Space Viking is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “I don't have to do what anybody tells me."”
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading “"Gee!”
(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 “And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.”
a person who rules or commands
From this reading “And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “"Well, my King says I am.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.”
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading “I don't have to do what anybody tells me."”
a cruel and oppressive dictator
From this reading “Are you a tyrant?”
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 And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Well, my King says I am.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
any person at all
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you a tyrant?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading "Gee!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, my King says I am.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "Well, my King says I am.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well, my King says I am.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
(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 And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
a person who rules or commands
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Well, my King says I am.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
express in words
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
a cruel and oppressive dictator
From this reading Are you a tyrant?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, my King says I am.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don't have to do what anybody tells me."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And I am ruler of my planet, and I'll tell you a secret.
Chapter 9 of Space Viking by H. Beam Piper holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 9 holds 425 sentences of Space Viking, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Space Viking by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 9 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.
