Chapter 6 of Four-Day Planet is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Four-Day Planet is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core. Only why didn't they use the cutter? It was at the boat now. "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted. "It might be trouble."
Chapter 6 of Four-Day Planet is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
plural of “billet” — a short personal letter
From this reading “That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.”
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading “That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.”
a small group of indispensable persons or things
From this reading “That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.”
someone who cuts or carves stone
From this reading “Only why didn't they use the cutter?”
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading “That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.”
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “"We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.”
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.”
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading “That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.”
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 That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
(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 That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was at the boat now.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
plural of “billet” — a short personal letter
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading It was at the boat now.
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
a small group of indispensable persons or things
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
someone who cuts or carves stone
From this reading Only why didn't they use the cutter?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only why didn't they use the cutter?
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was at the boat now.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "It might be trouble."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was at the boat now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
and nothing more
From this reading Only why didn't they use the cutter?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Only why didn't they use the cutter?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
a source of difficulty
From this reading "It might be trouble."
the act of using
From this reading Only why didn't they use the cutter?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was at the boat now.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "We better go see what it is," Cesário insisted.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Only why didn't they use the cutter?
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That could be; a few short bursts would knock off all the soft wood from one of those big billets and expose the hard core.
Chapter 6 of Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 6 holds 445 sentences of Four-Day Planet, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 6 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 Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3933 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19478 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19478, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 327 minutes of reading across 787 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Four-Day Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Four-Day Planet 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 Four-Day Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
