Chapter 2 of The Skylark of Space is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Skylark of Space is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it. I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?" "Why not work here?" "Your house? You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
Chapter 2 of The Skylark of Space is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
in a brisk manner
From this reading “Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.”
the central area or commercial center of a town or city
From this reading “I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"”
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.”
-ing form of “experiment” — to conduct a test or investigation
From this reading “You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?”
jump lightly
From this reading “Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.”
an area in a town where a public mercantile establishment is set up
From this reading “Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.”
formed into a structured or coherent whole, particularly on a large scale
From this reading “Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.”
third-person singular of “solve” — find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading “Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.”
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 I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
in a brisk manner
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
the central area or commercial center of a town or city
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
-ing form of “experiment” — to conduct a test or investigation
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
the act of departing
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Why not work here?"
jump lightly
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Your house?
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
an area in a town where a public mercantile establishment is set up
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why not work here?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
formed into a structured or coherent whole, particularly on a large scale
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
third-person singular of “solve” — find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why not work here?"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I suppose I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around here, do you?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Seaton Solves the Problem of Power "Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company, Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it.
Chapter 2 of The Skylark of Space by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith holds 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 2 holds 368 sentences of The Skylark of Space, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Skylark of Space by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 2 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 Skylark of Space by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5026 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20869 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20869, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 418 minutes of reading across 1006 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Skylark of Space section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Skylark of Space 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 Skylark of Space, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
