Chapter 3 of The Ultimate Weapon is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Ultimate Weapon is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They won't believe Kendall. Therefore they won't." "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?" "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks. The men will be protected against the gamma rays."
Chapter 3 of The Ultimate Weapon is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading “"Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.”
the 3rd letter of the Greek alphabet
From this reading “"What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"”
third-person singular of “intend” — have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “"Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.”
United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972)
From this reading “"They won't believe Kendall.”
a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
From this reading “"Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.”
kept safe or defended from danger or injury or loss
From this reading “The men will be protected against the gamma rays."”
inflected form of “refit” — fit out again
From this reading “"Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.”
plural of “tank” — an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading “"Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The men will be protected against the gamma rays."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The men will be protected against the gamma rays."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "They won't believe Kendall.
to strive with determination
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
an officer in command of a military unit
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
power to direct or determine
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
the 3rd letter of the Greek alphabet
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
third-person singular of “intend” — have in mind as a purpose
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972)
From this reading "They won't believe Kendall.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
the force of workers available
From this reading The men will be protected against the gamma rays."
a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
kept safe or defended from danger or injury or loss
From this reading The men will be protected against the gamma rays."
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
inflected form of “refit” — fit out again
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
confined on all sides
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
plural of “tank” — an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading Therefore they won't."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They won't believe Kendall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Mercury will stop them and the Commander here intends to have the refitted ships built so that the engine room and control room are one, and completely surrounded by the mercury tanks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They won't believe Kendall.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What did you mean about gamma rays, Buck?"
Chapter 3 of The Ultimate Weapon by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell holds 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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 3 holds 473 sentences of The Ultimate Weapon, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Ultimate Weapon by John W., Jr. (John Wood) Campbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 3 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.
