Chapter 11 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, sir." "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation. Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him. If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him." "It'll be a pleasure, sir.
Chapter 11 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading “"Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.”
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading “If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."”
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading “"Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.”
someone who plays a drum
From this reading “Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.”
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading “"Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.”
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading “If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."”
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."”
destroy property or hinder normal operations
From this reading “If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."”
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 "It'll be a pleasure, sir.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
someone who plays a drum
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It'll be a pleasure, sir.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
the state of being in effect or being operative
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading "It'll be a pleasure, sir.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
not in physical motion
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
destroy property or hinder normal operations
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
look attentively
From this reading Watch Drummer; I still don't trust him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Figure out some way to be aboard the Dragon during the operation.
during the time that
From this reading If he tries to undermine my authority while I'm away, shoot him."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir."
Chapter 11 of The Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 11 holds 420 sentences of The Universe — or Nothing, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 11 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 Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5871 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 489 minutes of reading across 1175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Universe — or Nothing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Universe — or Nothing 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 Universe — or Nothing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
