Chapter 1 of Star Pirate is here in full — 647 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Star Pirate is here in full — 647 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR. It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres. Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate. It was cold that night, I remember. Cold and clear as ice.
Chapter 1 of Star Pirate is here in full — 647 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/129 · 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.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.”
harass with persistent criticism or carping
From this reading “Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.”
(Roman mythology) goddess of agriculture; counterpart of Greek Demeter
From this reading “It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.”
past form of “exile” — expel from a country
From this reading “Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.”
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading “By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.”
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading “Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.”
a silver-white metallic element of the platinum group that resembles platinum; occurs in some copper and nickel ores; does not tarnish at ordinary temperatures and is used (alloyed with gold) in jewelry
From this reading “Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.”
highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
From this reading “Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.”
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.
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 Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cold and clear as ice.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Cold and clear as ice.
harass with persistent criticism or carping
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.
(Roman mythology) goddess of agriculture; counterpart of Greek Demeter
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
rid of obstructions
From this reading Cold and clear as ice.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was cold that night, I remember.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
at any time
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
past form of “exile” — expel from a country
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was cold that night, I remember.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading Cold and clear as ice.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By FREDERICK ARNOLD KUMMER, JR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was cold that night, I remember.
a silver-white metallic element of the platinum group that resembles platinum; occurs in some copper and nickel ores; does not tarnish at ordinary temperatures and is used (alloyed with gold) in jewelry
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
To recall to mind.
From this reading It was cold that night, I remember.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It meant death if Vance McClean ever returned to Ceres.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Still, a cool million in palladium was tempting bait to that exiled star-pirate.
Chapter 1 of Star Pirate by Frederic Arnold Kummer holds 647 sentences, grouped into 130 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 1 holds 647 sentences of Star Pirate, unabridged, divided into 130 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Star Pirate by Frederic Arnold Kummer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 647 sentences, grouped into 130 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 130 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 130 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 1 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 Star Pirate by Frederic Arnold Kummer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 647 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61781 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61781, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 53 minutes of reading across 130 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Star Pirate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Star Pirate 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 Star Pirate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
