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The Cosmic Courtship
The Cosmic Courtship

Chapter XXVII · Disaster

Chapter XXVII of The Cosmic Courtship, “Disaster,” is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Julian Hawthorne • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Cosmic Courtship
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.
The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.
He was panting and evidently frightened.
“Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.
“Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”
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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.

The Cosmic Courtship

Chapter XXVII · Disaster

Chapter XXVII of The Cosmic Courtship, “Disaster,” is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.
Line 2
The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.
/ðə mæn æt ðə saɪt ʌv hɪm stɑːpt ənd meɪd hɪz oʊˈbeɪsəns/
Line 3
He was panting and evidently frightened.
/hiː wɑːz ˈpæntɪŋ ənd ˈevədəntli ˈfraɪtənd/
Line 4
“Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.
Line 5
“Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”
/ˈɡreɪʃəs prɪns ˈfɑːltərd ðə mæn ɪt hæz ˈfɑːlən ˈɪntuː ðə ˈrɪvər/

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.

faltered verb US /ˈfɑːltərd/

past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak

From this reading ““Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gracious adjective US /ˈɡreɪʃəs/

characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit

From this reading ““Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hurrying adjective US /ˈhɜːriɪŋ/

moving with great haste

From this reading “TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
interrogation noun US /ɪnˌter.əˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

The formal questioning of a suspect by police detectives or magistrates.

From this reading ““Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.”

Velmora curated lexicon
obeisance noun US /oʊˈbeɪsəns/

bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting

From this reading “The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
panting noun US /ˈpæntɪŋ/

breathing heavily (as after exertion)

From this reading “He was panting and evidently frightened.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
receiving verb US /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/

-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of

From this reading “TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
staircase noun US /ˈsterkeɪs/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading “TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

opposite direction adjective + noun

In this reading “TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.”

4,510 times in 426,212 chapters
into the river preposition + article + noun counted as “into … river”

In this reading ““Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!””

5,668 times in 426,212 chapters
at the sight preposition + article + noun counted as “at … sight”

In this reading “The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.”

14,140 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
castlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
directionnounUS /dərˈekʃən/

a line leading to a place or point

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evidentlyadverbUS /ˈevədəntli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading He was panting and evidently frightened.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
falteredverbUS /ˈfɑːltərd/

past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
frightenedadjectiveUS /ˈfraɪtənd/

made afraid

From this reading He was panting and evidently frightened.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GraciousadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪʃəs/

characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hurryingadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːriɪŋ/

moving with great haste

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
interrogationnounUS /ɪnˌter.əˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

The formal questioning of a suspect by police detectives or magistrates.

From this reading “Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.

Velmora curated lexicon
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mainadjectiveUS /meɪn/

most important element

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Miriam

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

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Pending verification
notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading “Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
obeisancenounUS /oʊˈbeɪsəns/

bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oppositeadjectiveUS /ˈɑːpəzət/

being directly across from each other; facing

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/

breathing heavily (as after exertion)

From this reading He was panting and evidently frightened.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
princenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
receivingverbUS /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/

-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading “Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
servantnounUS /ˈsɜːrvənt/

a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
signalnounUS /ˈsɪɡnəl/

any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect

From this reading “Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading The man, at the sight of him, stopped and made his obeisance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TORPEON

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

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Pending verification
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading “Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant hurrying in the opposite direction.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 27 of The Cosmic Courtship by Julian Hawthorne holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 27 of The Cosmic Courtship contain?

Chapter 27 holds 106 sentences of The Cosmic Courtship, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 27 of The Cosmic Courtship by Julian Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 27 of The Cosmic Courtship?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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 27 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 27 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 The Cosmic Courtship

Common questions about reading The Cosmic Courtship by Julian Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Cosmic Courtship?

Yes. All 3827 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66349 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Cosmic Courtship is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #66349, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Cosmic Courtship take to read?

About 318 minutes of reading across 766 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Cosmic Courtship section by section

How to work through The Cosmic Courtship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Cosmic Courtship

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Cosmic Courtship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Cosmic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cosmic Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Courtship
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cosmic Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Julian
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cosmic Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hawthorne
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Cosmic Courtship; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.