Chapter 3 of Starman's Quest is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Starman's Quest is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Quantrell was silent a long time. "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last. "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there." He fell silent again. Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
Chapter 3 of Starman's Quest is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “"We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.”
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.”
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading “He fell silent again.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “Quantrell was silent a long time.”
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.”
run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading “Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.”
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 Quantrell was silent a long time.
anew
From this reading He fell silent again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading He fell silent again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
and nothing more
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
immediately past
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
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 Quantrell was silent a long time.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quantrell was silent a long time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
cut with a saw
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Quantrell was silent a long time.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Just for a day or so?" he asked, at last.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Quantrell was silent a long time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading Alan saw a little trickle of sweat burst out on Quantrell's cheek.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Quantrell was silent a long time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "We'll just go out, and have a look around, just to see what it's like out there."
Chapter 3 of Starman's Quest by Robert Silverberg holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 3 holds 400 sentences of Starman's Quest, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Starman's Quest by Robert Silverberg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 3 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 Starman's Quest by Robert Silverberg on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4025 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27444 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27444, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 335 minutes of reading across 805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Starman's Quest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Starman's Quest 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 Starman's Quest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
