Chapter 4 of The Runaway Asteroid is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Runaway Asteroid is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact. “Never had anything like this happen before. This is a first.” When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated. The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
Chapter 4 of The Runaway Asteroid is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
speeded up, as of an academic course
From this reading “When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.”
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.”
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading “When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.”
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading ““They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.”
a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians; Saturday for the Jews and a few Christians; Friday for Muslims
From this reading ““They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.”
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading “When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading ““They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.”
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 “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
speeded up, as of an academic course
From this reading When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
any thing at all
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading This is a first.”
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
come to pass
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a first.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
not fanciful or imaginative
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
compacted by ironing
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians; Saturday for the Jews and a few Christians; Friday for Muslims
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The Starmen and their companions felt themselves pressed into the chairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Never had anything like this happen before.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
at the time that
From this reading When the glow ceased, the ships accelerated.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading “They’re ramsquaddling the whole operation,” said Sabbath George in a voice that sounded almost matter-of-fact.
Chapter 4 of The Runaway Asteroid by Michael D. Cooper holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Runaway Asteroid, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Runaway Asteroid by Michael D. Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Runaway Asteroid by Michael D. Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4799 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11583, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 399 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Runaway Asteroid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Runaway Asteroid 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 Runaway Asteroid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
