Chapter 15 of The Chessmen of Mars is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Chessmen of Mars is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply. "Go! Go!" whispered the kaldane. "You can do me no good. Go, or all I have done is for naught."
Chapter 15 of The Chessmen of Mars is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading “THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Go, or all I have done is for naught."”
a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)
From this reading “THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.”
a quantity of no importance
From this reading “Go, or all I have done is for naught."”
plural of “pit” — a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading “THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.”
and nothing more
From this reading “THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.”
a village in eastern Ireland (northwest of Dublin); seat of Irish kings until 6th century
From this reading “THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Go!" whispered the kaldane.”
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.
(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 Go, or all I have done is for naught."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You can do me no good.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "You can do me no good.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Go, or all I have done is for naught."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Go, or all I have done is for naught."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "You can do me no good.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Go, or all I have done is for naught."
a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Go, or all I have done is for naught."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Go!" whispered the kaldane.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You can do me no good.
a quantity of no importance
From this reading Go, or all I have done is for naught."
not any; not one
From this reading "You can do me no good.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Go, or all I have done is for naught."
plural of “pit” — a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
and nothing more
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
a village in eastern Ireland (northwest of Dublin); seat of Irish kings until 6th century
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Go!" whispered the kaldane.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS "I shall not desert you, Ghek," said Tara of Helium, simply.
Chapter 15 of The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs holds 227 sentences, grouped into 46 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 holds 227 sentences of The Chessmen of Mars, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 15 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 The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1153 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1153, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 918 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chessmen of Mars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Chessmen of Mars 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 The Chessmen of Mars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
