Chapter 1 of Thunder in the void is here in full — 529 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Thunder in the void is here in full — 529 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I keep my promises, my friend. I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me. But—even though you have won, you have lost as well. Because you’re going with me too!” Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
Chapter 1 of Thunder in the void is here in full — 529 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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 structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
a period of 100 years
From this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
bound with chains
From this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
From this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
a cartoon character created by Walt Disney
From this reading “I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.”
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading ““I keep my promises, my friend.”
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
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.
the century from 1901 to 2000
In this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
In this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
In this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
In this reading “Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.”
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 I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
for the reason that
From this reading Because you’re going with me too!”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
a period of 100 years
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
bound with chains
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
divisible by two
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “I keep my promises, my friend.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
the act of departing
From this reading Because you’re going with me too!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I keep my promises, my friend.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “I keep my promises, my friend.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I keep my promises, my friend.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
a cartoon character created by Walt Disney
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading “I keep my promises, my friend.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I’m taking this boat to Pluto, and I’ll kill a lot of them before they finally get me.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Because you’re going with me too!”
position 20 in a countable series of things
From this reading Late in the Twentieth Century Man, for the first time, burst through the invisible barrier that had always kept him chained to his planet.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Because you’re going with me too!”
the basic unit of money in South Korea
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But—even though you have won, you have lost as well.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because you’re going with me too!”
Chapter 1 of Thunder in the void by Henry Kuttner holds 529 sentences, grouped into 106 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 1 holds 529 sentences of Thunder in the void, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Thunder in the void by Henry Kuttner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 529 sentences, grouped into 106 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 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 106 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 1 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 Thunder in the void by Henry Kuttner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thunder in the void section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Thunder in the void 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 Thunder in the void, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
