Chapter 4 of The Sinister Invasion is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Sinister Invasion is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger. Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world. For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized. Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess. But about Kara and Holmer, he was sure.
Chapter 4 of The Sinister Invasion is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.”
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading “Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.”
the state of being imminent and liable to happen soon
From this reading “Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.”
past form of “materialize” — come into being; become reality
From this reading “For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.”
plural of “pursuer” — a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading “Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.”
something that is a source of danger
From this reading “For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.”
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.
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
In this reading “For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
(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 Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But about Kara and Holmer, he was sure.
the state of being imminent and liable to happen soon
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
and nothing more
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But about Kara and Holmer, he was sure.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
past form of “materialize” — come into being; become reality
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
and nothing more
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
plural of “pursuer” — a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading But about Kara and Holmer, he was sure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Birrel felt the imminence of onrushing danger.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
something that is a source of danger
From this reading For in him lay the only chance to find out about the threat to Earth before it materialized.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But about Kara and Holmer, he was sure.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
which person or people
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Who their pursuers were, who the Irrians and Vannevan might be, and why they had come to Earth, he could not guess.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Danger, not just to himself, but to all his world.
Chapter 4 of The Sinister Invasion by Edmond Hamilton holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 161 sentences of The Sinister Invasion, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Sinister Invasion by Edmond Hamilton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Sinister Invasion by Edmond Hamilton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1919 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65483 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65483, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 384 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sinister Invasion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Sinister Invasion 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 Sinister Invasion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
