Chapter 5 of The Cosmic Junkman is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Cosmic Junkman is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But that was necessary," 2615 said. "The operation would be impossible otherwise. My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion. They will be dressed in full uniform. They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
Chapter 5 of The Cosmic Junkman is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading “They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.”
gathered together or made less diffuse
From this reading “My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.”
make or cause to be or to become
From this reading “My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.”
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading “My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.”
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading “"The operation would be impossible otherwise.”
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading “They will be dressed in full uniform.”
the visible part of a television transmission
From this reading “They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But that was necessary," 2615 said.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The operation would be impossible otherwise.
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But that was necessary," 2615 said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
gathered together or made less diffuse
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
make or cause to be or to become
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading They will be dressed in full uniform.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading They will be dressed in full uniform.
all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "The operation would be impossible otherwise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They will be dressed in full uniform.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
absolutely essential
From this reading "But that was necessary," 2615 said.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading "The operation would be impossible otherwise.
in other respects or ways
From this reading "The operation would be impossible otherwise.
above and across; more than
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But that was necessary," 2615 said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But that was necessary," 2615 said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The operation would be impossible otherwise.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading My attention must be concentrated almost entirely on the two humans so they do nothing to create suspicion.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading They will be dressed in full uniform.
not suspicious
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
the visible part of a television transmission
From this reading They will be observed by unsuspicious eyes over video beams.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But that was necessary," 2615 said.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading They will be dressed in full uniform.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "The operation would be impossible otherwise.
Chapter 5 of The Cosmic Junkman by Rog Phillips holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 5 holds 433 sentences of The Cosmic Junkman, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Cosmic Junkman by Rog Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 5 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 Cosmic Junkman by Rog Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2162 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 180 minutes of reading across 433 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cosmic Junkman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Cosmic Junkman 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 Cosmic Junkman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
