Chapter 11 of Star Surgeon is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of Star Surgeon is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate. Then Jack Alvarez snorted. "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said. "This has been a tougher grind than I thought. You're beginning to show the strain."
Chapter 11 of Star Surgeon is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading “DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.”
a metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters
From this reading “DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.”
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading “"This has been a tougher grind than I thought.”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “Then Jack Alvarez snorted.”
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading “Then Jack Alvarez snorted.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.”
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading “You're beginning to show the strain."”
comparative of “tough” — not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “"This has been a tougher grind than I thought.”
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 DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Jack Alvarez snorted.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading You're beginning to show the strain."
(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 "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
a metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Then Jack Alvarez snorted.
and nothing more
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
a particular point in time
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading You're beginning to show the strain."
past form of “snort” — indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading Then Jack Alvarez snorted.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading You're beginning to show the strain."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Jack Alvarez snorted.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You're beginning to show the strain."
comparative of “tough” — not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading "This has been a tougher grind than I thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're beginning to show the strain."
Chapter 11 of Star Surgeon by Alan Edward Nourse holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 266 sentences of Star Surgeon, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of Star Surgeon by Alan Edward Nourse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Star Surgeon by Alan Edward Nourse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18492, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Star Surgeon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Star Surgeon 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 Surgeon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
