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X Marks the Asteroid
X Marks the Asteroid

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of X Marks the Asteroid is here in full — 504 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for X Marks the Asteroid
Context Illustration Reading 1/100 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.
He kissed her.
He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.
She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.
"I love you," she murmured.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

X Marks the Asteroid

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of X Marks the Asteroid is here in full — 504 sentences across 101 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/100 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.
/æt ðə fɜːrst ˌɑːpərˈtuːnəti hiː swʌŋ hɜːr wɪˈθaʊt ə breɪk tuː ə smɔːl ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃən laʊndʒ ənd ɪn ðə koʊld ɡriːn ɡloʊ ʌv ə ˈmɪljən stɑːrz druː hɜːr tuː hɪm ˈletɪŋ hɪmˈself biː stʌnd baɪ ðə wɔːrmθ ʌv hɜːr ənd ðə ˈdrʌɡɪŋ ˈkwɑːləti ʌv hɜːr pərˈfjuːm/
Line 2
He kissed her.
/hiː kɪst hɜːr/
Line 3
He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.
/hiː wɑːz ˈkærid əˈweɪ ˈɪntuː ə lænd ʌv ˈɪntrəkət enˈtʃæntmənt wer lʌv ɪz ɔːl ənd ðə ɡɜːrl ɪn maɪ ɑːrmz ɪz juː/
Line 4
She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.
Line 5
"I love you," she murmured.
/aɪ lʌv juː ʃiː ˈmɜːrmərd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

drugging noun US /ˈdrʌɡɪŋ/

the administration of a sedative agent or drug

From this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

enchantment noun US /enˈtʃæntmənt/

a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual

From this reading “He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.”

intricate adjective US /ˈɪntrəkət/

having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate

From this reading “He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.”

lounge verb US /laʊndʒ/

sit or recline comfortably

From this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

million noun US /ˈmɪljən/

the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

perfume noun US /pərˈfjuːm/

a distinctive odor that is pleasant

From this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

stunned adjective US /stʌnd/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

warmth noun US /wɔːrmθ/

the sensation caused by heat energy

From this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

carried away verb + particle counted as “carry away”

remove from a certain place, environment, or mental or emotional state; transport into a new location or state

In this reading “He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.”

first opportunity adjective + noun

In this reading “At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

ArmsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

breakverbUS /breɪk/

terminate

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

dreamilyadverb

in a dreamy manner

From this reading She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.

drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

druggingnounUS /ˈdrʌɡɪŋ/

the administration of a sedative agent or drug

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

enchantmentnounUS /enˈtʃæntmənt/

a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

GirlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

glownounUS /ɡloʊ/

an alert and refreshed state

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I love you," she murmured.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

intricateadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəkət/

having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

kissedverbUS /kɪst/

past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.

From this reading He kissed her.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

lettingnounUS /ˈletɪŋ/

property that is leased or rented out or let

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.

loungeverbUS /laʊndʒ/

sit or recline comfortably

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

LovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

millionnounUS /ˈmɪljən/

the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading "I love you," she murmured.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

observationnounUS /ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃən/

the act of making and recording a measurement

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.

opportunitynounUS /ˌɑːpərˈtuːnəti/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

perfumenounUS /pərˈfjuːm/

a distinctive odor that is pleasant

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

qualitynounUS /ˈkwɑːləti/

an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She opened her eyes, looking at him dreamily.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

starsnounUS /stɑːrz/

plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

stunnedadjectiveUS /stʌnd/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

swungverbUS /swʌŋ/

inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

warmthnounUS /wɔːrmθ/

the sensation caused by heat energy

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading At the first opportunity, he swung her without a break to a small observation lounge, and in the cold green glow of a million stars drew her to him, letting himself be stunned by the warmth of her and the drugging quality of her perfume.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading He was carried away into a land of intricate enchantment where Love is All, and the Girl in my Arms is You.

Chapter 2 of X Marks the Asteroid by Ross Rocklynne holds 504 sentences, grouped into 101 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.

What does chapter 2 of X Marks the Asteroid contain?

Chapter 2 holds 504 sentences of X Marks the Asteroid, unabridged, divided into 101 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of X Marks the Asteroid by Ross Rocklynne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 504 sentences, grouped into 101 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of X Marks the Asteroid?

Work through the 101 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 101 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading X Marks the Asteroid

Common questions about reading X Marks the Asteroid by Ross Rocklynne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of X Marks the Asteroid?

Yes. All 1017 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66211 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of X Marks the Asteroid is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #66211, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does X Marks the Asteroid take to read?

About 84 minutes of reading across 204 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read X Marks the Asteroid section by section

How to work through X Marks the Asteroid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of X Marks the Asteroid to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in X Marks the Asteroid

Words and structures a reader meets early in X Marks the Asteroid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Space
A word that appears in the opening chapter of X Marks the Asteroid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ralph's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of X Marks the Asteroid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ancestors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of X Marks the Asteroid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Suspended
A word that appears in the opening chapter of X Marks the Asteroid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.