Chapter 18 of Stand by for Mars! is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Stand by for Mars! is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Tom--Roger!" shouted Astro. "I think I've got it!" Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet. "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom. "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
Chapter 18 of Stand by for Mars! is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading “Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.”
record in a public office or in a court of law
From this reading “Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.”
emerge from the eggs
From this reading “Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.”
an opening into or through something
From this reading “"I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.”
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.”
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading “Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"Tom--Roger!" shouted Astro.”
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 Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
(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 "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tom--Roger!" shouted Astro.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
record in a public office or in a court of law
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I think I've got it!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
emerge from the eggs
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
an opening into or through something
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think I've got it!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think I've got it!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I think I've got it!"
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tom--Roger!" shouted Astro.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Tom--Roger!" shouted Astro.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I don't know--at least I'm not sure," Astro replied, looking down at the hole he had made in the hatch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think I've got it!"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Astro, on his knees, pulled a long file blade away from the hatch and jumped to his feet.
male cat
From this reading "Tom--Roger!" shouted Astro.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you cut all the way through?" asked Tom.
Chapter 18 of Stand by for Mars! by Carey Rockwell holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 18 holds 209 sentences of Stand by for Mars!, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Stand by for Mars! by Carey Rockwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 18 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 Stand by for Mars! by Carey Rockwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19526 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19526, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 369 minutes of reading across 887 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stand by for Mars! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Stand by for Mars! 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 Stand by for Mars!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
