Chapter 1 of The Ultimate Weapon is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Ultimate Weapon is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?] The star Mira was unpredictably variable. Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot. Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets. Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
Chapter 1 of The Ultimate Weapon is here in full — 477 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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 state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading “When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]”
plural of “fight” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]”
move from one country or region to another and settle there
From this reading “Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.”
plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.”
the process whereby something is shed
From this reading “Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.”
in an erratic unpredictable manner
From this reading “The star Mira was unpredictably variable.”
liable to or capable of change
From this reading “The star Mira was unpredictably variable.”
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 Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
(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 Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
shining intensely
From this reading Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot.
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
plural of “fight” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
move from one country or region to another and settle there
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The star Mira was unpredictably variable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
the act of searching for something
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
the process whereby something is shed
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes it was blazing, brilliant and hot.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
in an erratic unpredictable manner
From this reading The star Mira was unpredictably variable.
liable to or capable of change
From this reading The star Mira was unpredictably variable.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading Other times it was oddly dim, cool, shedding little warmth on its many planets.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The star Mira was unpredictably variable.
at the time that
From this reading When star fights star, is chaos the best defense?]
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Gresth Gkae, leader of the Mirans, was seeking a better star, one to which his "people" could migrate.
Chapter 1 of The Ultimate Weapon by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell holds 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 477 sentences of The Ultimate Weapon, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Ultimate Weapon by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 477 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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 Ultimate Weapon by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2365 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23790, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 197 minutes of reading across 473 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ultimate Weapon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Ultimate Weapon 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 Ultimate Weapon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
