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Subspace Survivors
Subspace Survivors

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Subspace Survivors is here in full — 603 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/120 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.
D.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!
When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"
All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Subspace Survivors

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Subspace Survivors is here in full — 603 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/120 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.
/ˈedwərd iː smɪθ ˈpiːˈeɪtʃ/
Line 2
D.
/diː/
Line 3
+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!
Line 4
When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"
Line 5
All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

Learner Dictionary

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.

announcer noun US /əˈnaʊnsər/

someone who proclaims a message publicly

From this reading “All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.”

expert adjective US /ˈekspərt/

having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude

From this reading “+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!”

gotten verb US /ˈɡɑːtən/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading “When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"”

speakers noun US /ˈspiːkərz/

plural of “speaker” — someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

From this reading “All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.”

starship noun US /ˈstɑːrʃɪp/

a spacecraft designed to carry a crew into interstellar space (especially in science fiction)

From this reading “All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.”

surviving adjective US /sərˈvaɪvɪŋ/

still in existence

From this reading “+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!”

survivor noun US /sərˈvaɪvər/

one who lives through affliction

From this reading “+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!”

trained adjective US /treɪnd/

shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form

From this reading “+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

1

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

announcernounUS /əˈnaʊnsər/

someone who proclaims a message publicly

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

DnounUS /diː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading D.

EnounUS /iː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body

From this reading EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.

EDWARDnounUS /ˈedwərd/

King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)

From this reading EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

expertadjectiveUS /ˈekspərt/

having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

explainverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪn/

make plain and comprehensible

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

gottenverbUS /ˈɡɑːtən/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

handleverbUS /ˈhændəl/

be in charge of, act on, or dispose of

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

hasn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

high-fidelityadjective

characterized by minimal distortion in sound reproduction

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

passengersnounUS /ˈpæsəndʒərz/

plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

payverbUS /peɪ/

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

PhnounUS /ˈpiːˈeɪtʃ/

(from potential of Hydrogen) the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration in gram atoms per liter

From this reading EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.

pleaseverbUS /pliːz/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

problemnounUS /ˈprɑːbləm/

a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

Procyonnoun

the brightest star in Canis Minor

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

skillfully-modulated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

SMITHnounUS /smɪθ/

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.

speakersnounUS /ˈspiːkərz/

plural of “speaker” — someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

starshipnounUS /ˈstɑːrʃɪp/

a spacecraft designed to carry a crew into interstellar space (especially in science fiction)

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

survivingadjectiveUS /sərˈvaɪvɪŋ/

still in existence

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

survivornounUS /sərˈvaɪvər/

one who lives through affliction

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

trainedadjectiveUS /treɪnd/

shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading All the high-fidelity speakers of the starship _Procyon_ spoke as one, in the skillfully-modulated voice of the trained announcer.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | _There has always been, and will always be, the problem of | | surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle | | ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an | | expert!

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading When no one has ever gotten back to explain what | | happened...._ | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "All passengers, will you[1] pay attention, please?"

Chapter 1 of Subspace Survivors by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith holds 603 sentences, grouped into 121 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.

What does chapter 1 of Subspace Survivors contain?

Chapter 1 holds 603 sentences of Subspace Survivors, unabridged, divided into 121 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Subspace Survivors by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 603 sentences, grouped into 121 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Subspace Survivors?

Work through the 121 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 121 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Subspace Survivors

Common questions about reading Subspace Survivors by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Subspace Survivors?

Yes. All 1194 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21647 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Subspace Survivors is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #21647, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Subspace Survivors take to read?

About 99 minutes of reading across 239 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Subspace Survivors section by section

How to work through Subspace Survivors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of Subspace Survivors to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Subspace Survivors

Words and structures a reader meets early in Subspace Survivors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Edward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Subspace Survivors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Smith
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Subspace Survivors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Always
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Subspace Survivors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Problem
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Subspace Survivors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.