Chapter 11 of Space Viking is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Space Viking is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?" Bentrik laughed. "Well, the Constitution...." He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution. "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
Chapter 11 of Space Viking is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 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.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading “"Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.”
law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
From this reading “"Well, the Constitution...."”
a vote to select the winner of a position or political office
From this reading “"Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Bentrik laughed.”
members of a governing board
From this reading “"Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.”
plural of “stooge” — a person of unquestioning obedience
From this reading “"That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"”
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 "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bentrik laughed.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
From this reading "Well, the Constitution...."
a vote to select the winner of a position or political office
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Bentrik laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
members of a governing board
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
a person, without saying who
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
plural of “stooge” — a person of unquestioning obedience
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, the Constitution...."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, a Regent has to be chosen by election.
(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, the Constitution...."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He thought better of that, before somebody asked him what Constitution.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's Zaspar Makann and his stooges you're talking about?"
Chapter 11 of Space Viking by H. Beam Piper holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 11 holds 427 sentences of Space Viking, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Space Viking by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 11 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.
