Chapter 8 of The starmen is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The starmen is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Yann groaned and retched. "I'm sick." "You'll be sicker." Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect. "Sit up and talk like a man.
Chapter 8 of The starmen is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading “Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.”
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.”
construct, build, or erect
From this reading “Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “Yann groaned and retched.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"I'm sick."”
comparative of “sick” — affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"You'll be sicker."”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.”
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.
not go to bed
In this reading “"Sit up and talk like a man.”
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 "Sit up and talk like a man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yann groaned and retched.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You'll be sicker."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
construct, build, or erect
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading Yann groaned and retched.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sick."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Sit up and talk like a man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Sit up and talk like a man.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yann groaned and retched.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "I'm sick."
comparative of “sick” — affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "You'll be sicker."
be seated
From this reading "Sit up and talk like a man.
having a supporting base
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Sit up and talk like a man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Sit up and talk like a man.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading Trehearne got him by the hair of the head, standing carefully and watching for any sudden move, and dragged him half erect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yann groaned and retched.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You'll be sicker."
Chapter 8 of The starmen by Leigh Brackett holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 8 holds 430 sentences of The starmen, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The starmen by Leigh Brackett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 8 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 starmen by Leigh Brackett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The starmen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The starmen 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 starmen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
