Chapter 2 of Through the Asteroids—To Hell! is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Through the Asteroids—To Hell! is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What the hell's burning him up?" The control man's head came up slowly from the set. "He ain't feeling so good," he said. "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead. I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
Chapter 2 of Through the Asteroids—To Hell! is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
the act of burning something
From this reading “"What the hell's burning him up?"”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “The control man's head came up slowly from the set.”
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading “"Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.”
possessive form of “hell” — any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “"What the hell's burning him up?"”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."”
to some (great or small) extent
From this reading “I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “"Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.”
possessive form of “pal” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “"Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.”
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.
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “The control man's head came up slowly from the set.”
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 "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He ain't feeling so good," he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
the act of burning something
From this reading "What the hell's burning him up?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
power to direct or determine
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading "He ain't feeling so good," he said.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "He ain't feeling so good," he said.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He ain't feeling so good," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
possessive form of “hell” — any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading "What the hell's burning him up?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What the hell's burning him up?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
to some (great or small) extent
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
possessive form of “pal” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He ain't feeling so good," he said.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The control man's head came up slowly from the set.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "He ain't feeling so good," he said.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What the hell's burning him up?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "What the hell's burning him up?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What the hell's burning him up?"
at the time that
From this reading I think he's kinda sorry he wasn't on the job when it happened."
during the time that
From this reading "Seems like he deserted a pal a while back, and now his pal's dead.
Chapter 2 of Through the Asteroids—To Hell! by Leroy Yerxa holds 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 2 holds 481 sentences of Through the Asteroids—To Hell!, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Through the Asteroids—To Hell! by Leroy Yerxa exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 2 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 Through the Asteroids—To Hell! by Leroy Yerxa on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 969 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63720, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 80 minutes of reading across 194 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Through the Asteroids—To Hell! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Through the Asteroids—To Hell! 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 Through the Asteroids—To Hell!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
