Chapter 21 of The Red Planet is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Red Planet is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark. You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge. Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him. The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind. Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
Chapter 21 of The Red Planet is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading “The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.”
exert pressure on someone through threats
From this reading “You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.”
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.”
having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins
From this reading “You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.”
known widely and usually unfavorably
From this reading “Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.”
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading “You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.”
someone who saves something from danger or violence
From this reading “Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.”
past form of “speculate” — to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading “The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.”
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 So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
exert pressure on someone through threats
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
a criminal who extorts money from someone by threatening to expose embarrassing information about them
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
cause to move by striking
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
known widely and usually unfavorably
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
To recall to mind.
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
someone who saves something from danger or violence
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
past form of “speculate” — to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading The more I speculated on the danger that might arise from Gedge, the easier I grew in my mind.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading So, in drawing a bow at a venture, I had hit the mark.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Boyce was worth a thousand a year to him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You may remember that I had rapped out the word "blackmail" at Gedge; now Randall justified the charge.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your blackmailer is a notorious saver of his skin.
Chapter 21 of The Red Planet by William John Locke holds 303 sentences, grouped into 61 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 21 holds 303 sentences of The Red Planet, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Red Planet by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 303 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 21 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 Red Planet by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4287 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4287, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Red Planet 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 Red Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
