Chapter 13 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot. Brad reacted instinctively. He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead. A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic. "One to Three."
Chapter 13 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 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.
destruction by annihilating something
From this reading “The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.”
a small nail
From this reading “Brad reacted instinctively.”
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading “He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.”
tense with excitement and enthusiasm as from a rush of adrenaline
From this reading “He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.”
past form of “react” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “Brad reacted instinctively.”
a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones
From this reading “The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.”
changing location rapidly
From this reading “He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.”
the front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents
From this reading “He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.”
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 A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
later than; following
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
destruction by annihilating something
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
a small nail
From this reading Brad reacted instinctively.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
as a matter of instinct
From this reading Brad reacted instinctively.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One to Three."
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
tense with excitement and enthusiasm as from a rush of adrenaline
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
past form of “react” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading Brad reacted instinctively.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
transport commercially
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading A second later his mind snapped back from its momentary panic.
changing location rapidly
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "One to Three."
push forcefully
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "One to Three."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The UIPS fleet faced annihilation, as did Slingshot.
the front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents
From this reading He jerked his ship around and pumped max thrust after the speeding warhead.
Chapter 13 of The Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 13 holds 423 sentences of The Universe — or Nothing, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 13 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.
