Chapter 7 of The Runaway Asteroid is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Runaway Asteroid is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Nothing doing. If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations. We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.” When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable. “Hey!” exclaimed the Starman.
Chapter 7 of The Runaway Asteroid is here in full — 398 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.
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading “We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.””
for a short time
From this reading “When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.”
plural of “combination” — a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading “If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.”
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading “When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.”
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading “We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.””
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading “When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.”
close with a zipper
From this reading “If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.”
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 If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter)
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
terminate
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
for a short time
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
plural of “combination” — a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “Nothing doing.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Hey!” exclaimed the Starman.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hey!” exclaimed the Starman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing doing.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hey!” exclaimed the Starman.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
carry out
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
at the time that
From this reading When Mark said “Zimbardo,” the screen flashed briefly on each syllable.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’re so far away from the surface of the asteroid, I’m sure Zimbardo will never find us now.”
close with a zipper
From this reading If you’d like to take a break here, Zip, I’ll try a few more combinations.
Chapter 7 of The Runaway Asteroid by Michael D. Cooper holds 398 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 7 holds 398 sentences of The Runaway Asteroid, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Runaway Asteroid by Michael D. Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 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 7 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.
