Chapter 4 of The Pirates of Ersatz is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Pirates of Ersatz is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking. Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings. He turned. The man in the purple cloak winced and closed his eyes. "Hm-m-m," said Hoddan.
Chapter 4 of The Pirates of Ersatz is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading “Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.”
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading “* * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.”
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading “Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.”
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “* * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.”
a purple color or pigment
From this reading “* * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.”
return to an original state
From this reading “Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “* * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.”
past form of “wince” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “The man in the purple cloak winced and closed his eyes.”
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 Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man in the purple cloak winced and closed his eyes.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The man in the purple cloak winced and closed his eyes.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The man in the purple cloak winced and closed his eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hm-m-m," said Hoddan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
return to an original state
From this reading Hoddan completed the recovery of all his belongings.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Hm-m-m," said Hoddan.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * The man in the purple cloak obeyed, shaking.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned.
past form of “wince” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading The man in the purple cloak winced and closed his eyes.
Chapter 4 of The Pirates of Ersatz by Murray Leinster holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 4 holds 399 sentences of The Pirates of Ersatz, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Pirates of Ersatz by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 4 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 Pirates of Ersatz by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5250 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24035 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24035, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1050 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pirates of Ersatz section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Pirates of Ersatz 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 Pirates of Ersatz, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
