Chapter 1 of The Space Flame is here in full — 566 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Space Flame is here in full — 566 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens.... A derelict space-ship. But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril. Fire--living, writhing, horrible! Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
Chapter 1 of The Space Flame is here in full — 566 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/113 · 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.
curled or wound (especially in concentric rings or spirals)
From this reading “Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.”
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading “A derelict space-ship.”
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.”
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....”
Adorned or decorated with precious gems, diamonds, and emeralds.
From this reading “Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.”
creating thread
From this reading “A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....”
(of unknown regions) not yet surveyed or investigated
From this reading “A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....”
moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
From this reading “Fire--living, writhing, horrible!”
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.
In this reading “But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.”
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 A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
curled or wound (especially in concentric rings or spirals)
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading A derelict space-ship.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
divisible by two
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Fire--living, writhing, horrible!
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
in a helpless manner
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
provoking horror
From this reading Fire--living, writhing, horrible!
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
Adorned or decorated with precious gems, diamonds, and emeralds.
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading Fire--living, writhing, horrible!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A derelict space-ship.
creating thread
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
plural of “tongue” — a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
(of unknown regions) not yet surveyed or investigated
From this reading A rocketless hulk spinning helplessly through uncharted heavens....
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Flame that hissed and coiled and struck with jeweled tongues of Death.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading But within that Eternity-bound shell was even greater peril.
moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
From this reading Fire--living, writhing, horrible!
Chapter 1 of The Space Flame by Alexander M. (Alexander Moore) Phillips holds 566 sentences, grouped into 114 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 1 holds 566 sentences of The Space Flame, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Space Flame by Alexander M. (Alexander Moore) Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 566 sentences, grouped into 114 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 114 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 114 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 1 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 Space Flame by Alexander M. (Alexander Moore) Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61717 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61717, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 47 minutes of reading across 114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Space Flame section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Space Flame 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 Space Flame, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
