Chapter 4 of Starman's Quest is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Starman's Quest is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Just a minute, officer." The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench. "This boy doesn't mean any trouble. I can vouch for him myself." "And who are you?
Chapter 4 of Starman's Quest is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.”
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading “The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.”
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading “The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “"Just a minute, officer."”
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading “"Just a minute, officer."”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.”
give personal assurance; guarantee
From this reading “I can vouch for him myself."”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.”
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 "Just a minute, officer."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And who are you?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "This boy doesn't mean any trouble.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And who are you?
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
a youthful male person
From this reading "This boy doesn't mean any trouble.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can vouch for him myself."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This boy doesn't mean any trouble.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I can vouch for him myself."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I can vouch for him myself."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can vouch for him myself."
and nothing more
From this reading "Just a minute, officer."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "This boy doesn't mean any trouble.
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading "Just a minute, officer."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I can vouch for him myself."
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "Just a minute, officer."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This boy doesn't mean any trouble.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
a source of difficulty
From this reading "This boy doesn't mean any trouble.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
give personal assurance; guarantee
From this reading I can vouch for him myself."
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The warm mellow voice belonged to the smiling man on the bench.
which person or people
From this reading "And who are you?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And who are you?
Chapter 4 of Starman's Quest by Robert Silverberg holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 4 holds 408 sentences of Starman's Quest, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Starman's Quest by Robert Silverberg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 4 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.
