Chapter III of The Secret of the Ninth Planet, “_The Valley of Stolen Sunlight_,” is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter III of The Secret of the Ninth Planet, “_The Valley of Stolen Sunlight_,” is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a moment all three were silent with amazement. "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally. "But why? What can they want of us?" His father frowned.
Chapter III of The Secret of the Ninth Planet, “_The Valley of Stolen Sunlight_,” is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “For a moment all three were silent with amazement.”
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading “"From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.”
the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
From this reading “"From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.”
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “"From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “"From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “His father frowned.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “"From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.”
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.
temporarily
In this reading “For a moment all three were silent with amazement.”
In this reading “For a moment all three were silent with amazement.”
In this reading “For a moment all three were silent with amazement.”
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 For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
(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 For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But why?
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading What can they want of us?"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading His father frowned.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading His father frowned.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His father frowned.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What can they want of us?"
marked by absence of sound
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What can they want of us?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "From California--and Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading What can they want of us?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What can they want of us?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "But why?
in the company of; together with
From this reading For a moment all three were silent with amazement.
Chapter 3 of The Secret of the Ninth Planet by Donald A. Wollheim holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 3 holds 189 sentences of The Secret of the Ninth Planet, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Secret of the Ninth Planet by Donald A. Wollheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 3 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 Secret of the Ninth Planet by Donald A. Wollheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret of the Ninth Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Secret of the Ninth 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 Secret of the Ninth Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
