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The Earthman
The Earthman

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Earthman
Context Illustration Reading 1/145 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BY IRVING COX, JR.
_The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.
And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.
It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.
Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Earthman

Chapter I

Reading 1/145 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BY IRVING COX, JR.
Line 2
_The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.
Line 3
And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.
Line 4
It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.
Line 5
Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.”

Captain noun US /ˈcaptain/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.”

Duty noun US /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading “Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.”

Ship noun US /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.”

All words in this reading · 74

Every word is available to listen to. 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 And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

assigned

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

barbaric

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BY IRVING COX, JR.

came

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

CaptainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

Commander's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

commissary

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

cottage

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

COX

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BY IRVING COX, JR.

doubly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

ducks

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

dutynounUS /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

escaped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

four

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

fourteen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

guards

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

handicapped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

happened

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

hour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

hundred

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

IRVING

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BY IRVING COX, JR.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

JR

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BY IRVING COX, JR.

knew

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

lunch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

minutes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

Nevada

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

noon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

Out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

personnel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

post

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

robot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

savages

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

seven

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

shipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

sitting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

skipped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

station

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

stayed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

supply

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

surrounded

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

survivors

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

Tchassen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

Thursday

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

tower

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

traitor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

unfortunate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And they were doubly handicapped, because they knew that one of them was a traitor!_ The robot supply ship came every Thursday at seven minutes after noon.

watch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading _The four survivors were sitting ducks surrounded by barbaric savages.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was an unfortunate hour for the personnel of the Nevada station, who happened to be in the commissary at lunch.

wife

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out of fourteen hundred assigned to the post, only four escaped--two guards on noon duty in the watch tower; the Commander's wife, who had skipped lunch and stayed in her cottage; and Captain Tchassen.