Chapter 4 of Creatures That Once Were Men is here in full — 614 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Creatures That Once Were Men is here in full — 614 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Kuvalda looked at the clock. "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk. Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand. If you don't I will devour you! Kanets has sold you something?
Chapter 4 of Creatures That Once Were Men is here in full — 614 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/122 · 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 timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “Kuvalda looked at the clock.”
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading “Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.”
destroy completely
From this reading “If you don't I will devour you!”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.”
insanely irresponsible
From this reading “"I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “"I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.”
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading “Kanets has sold you something?”
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 “"I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Kuvalda looked at the clock.”
In this reading “Kuvalda looked at the clock.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Kuvalda looked at the clock.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading Kuvalda looked at the clock.
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
destroy completely
From this reading If you don't I will devour you!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you don't I will devour you!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Kanets has sold you something?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
insanely irresponsible
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you don't I will devour you!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kanets has sold you something?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kuvalda looked at the clock.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Kuvalda looked at the clock.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading Kanets has sold you something?
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Kanets has sold you something?
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Kuvalda looked at the clock.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Finish your nonsense by that time and give me what I demand.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If you don't I will devour you!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I give you ten minutes, Egorka, for your idiotic talk.
Chapter 4 of Creatures That Once Were Men by Maksim Gorky holds 614 sentences, grouped into 123 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 4 holds 614 sentences of Creatures That Once Were Men, unabridged, divided into 123 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Creatures That Once Were Men by Maksim Gorky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 614 sentences, grouped into 123 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 123 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 123 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 4 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 Creatures That Once Were Men by Maksim Gorky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #681 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #681, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 381 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Creatures That Once Were Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Creatures That Once Were Men 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 Creatures That Once Were Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
