Chapter 9 of Empire is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Empire is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger. His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter. "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear. "Just one trick. Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
Chapter 9 of Empire is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
From this reading “"I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.”
used as expletives
From this reading “Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"”
plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.”
the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
From this reading “His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.”
tied with a knot
From this reading “His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “"I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.”
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 There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
used as expletives
From this reading Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
and nothing more
From this reading "Just one trick.
tied with a knot
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
transport commercially
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading His fists knotted and he shook them at the gleaming ship that lay far down near Jupiter.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading "I've got one trick left," he shouted, almost as if he expected Craven to hear.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was anger in Greg Manning's face ... a terrible anger.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Damn you, see if you can stop this one!"
Chapter 9 of Empire by Clifford D. Simak holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 9 holds 410 sentences of Empire, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Empire by Clifford D. Simak exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 9 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 Empire by Clifford D. Simak on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 918 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Empire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Empire 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 Empire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
