Chapter 10 of The Wailing Asteroid is here in full — 535 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Wailing Asteroid is here in full — 535 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Burke found her, rooted to the spot. He had a small metal box in his hand. He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled. "I may have something," he said with careful calm. "The case had this in it.
Chapter 10 of The Wailing Asteroid is here in full — 535 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/107 · 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 (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “He had a small metal box in his hand.”
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading “Burke found her, rooted to the spot.”
make calm or still
From this reading “"I may have something," he said with careful calm.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “"I may have something," he said with careful calm.”
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading “He had a small metal box in his hand.”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.”
absolutely still
From this reading “Burke found her, rooted to the spot.”
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.”
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.
In this reading “He had a small metal box in his hand.”
In this reading “He had a small metal box in his hand.”
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 He had a small metal box in his hand.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
make calm or still
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "The case had this in it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
set up or found
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The case had this in it.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
absolutely still
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had a small metal box in his hand.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "The case had this in it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Burke found her, rooted to the spot.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading He didn't notice her pallor nor that she trembled.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I may have something," he said with careful calm.
Chapter 10 of The Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster holds 535 sentences, grouped into 107 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 10 holds 535 sentences of The Wailing Asteroid, unabridged, divided into 107 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 535 sentences, grouped into 107 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 107 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 107 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 10 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 Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4783 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50022 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50022, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 398 minutes of reading across 957 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wailing Asteroid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Wailing Asteroid 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 Wailing Asteroid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
