Chapter 8 of The Friendly Killers is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Friendly Killers is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber. But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center. Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle. A click. A whir.
Chapter 8 of The Friendly Killers is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
move or strike with a noise
From this reading “A click.”
an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs
From this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
plural of “indicator” — a number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts; can reveal relative changes as a function of time
From this reading “But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
between or among planets
From this reading “But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.”
the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
From this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
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.
In this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
In this reading “Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.”
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 A click.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
move or strike with a noise
From this reading A click.
an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
plural of “indicator” — a number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts; can reveal relative changes as a function of time
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
between or among planets
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
not in physical motion
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
past form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
not in physical motion
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But the indicators showed that I'd now reached the Interplanetary Center.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading FINAL FOE It was still as death inside the space-warp chamber.
during the time that
From this reading Grimly, I shoved shut the switch that released the heavy warp-hatch ... stood motionless while I waited for the mechanism to grind through its inexorable cycle.
sound of something in rapid motion
From this reading A whir.
Chapter 8 of The Friendly Killers by S. M. Tenneshaw holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 8 holds 289 sentences of The Friendly Killers, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Friendly Killers by S. M. Tenneshaw exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 8 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 Friendly Killers by S. M. Tenneshaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1888 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 157 minutes of reading across 378 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Friendly Killers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Friendly Killers 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 Friendly Killers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
