Chapter 12 of The Space Pioneers is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Space Pioneers is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What do you want?" growled Ed Bush. He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side. "Why ain't you out growing corn?" Hyram Logan smiled. He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
Chapter 12 of The Space Pioneers is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading “He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.”
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “"What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.”
plural of “cadet” — a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading “He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.”
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “"Why ain't you out growing corn?"”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.”
a mountain peak in the St. Elias Range in the southwestern Yukon Territory in Canada (19,850 feet high)
From this reading “Hyram Logan smiled.”
the brightest star in Ursa Minor; at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper; the northern axis of the earth points toward it
inflected form of “strap” — tie with a strap
From this reading “He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.”
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 He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why ain't you out growing corn?"
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
plural of “cadet” — a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading "Why ain't you out growing corn?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
impotence resulting from a man's inability to have or maintain an erection of his penis
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading "Why ain't you out growing corn?"
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hyram Logan smiled.
fasten with a lock
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
a mountain peak in the St. Elias Range in the southwestern Yukon Territory in Canada (19,850 feet high)
From this reading Hyram Logan smiled.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Why ain't you out growing corn?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
the brightest star in Ursa Minor; at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper; the northern axis of the earth points toward it
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Hyram Logan smiled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
inflected form of “strap” — tie with a strap
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He stood at the air lock of the _Polaris_, a brace of paralo-ray guns strapped to his side.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading He held out the books and study spools the cadets had given him on the trip out.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why ain't you out growing corn?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you want?" growled Ed Bush.
Chapter 12 of The Space Pioneers by Carey Rockwell holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 12 holds 191 sentences of The Space Pioneers, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Space Pioneers by Carey Rockwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 12 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 Pioneers by Carey Rockwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4400 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18753 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18753, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 366 minutes of reading across 880 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Space Pioneers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Space Pioneers 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 Pioneers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
