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Makers
Makers

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Makers is here in full — 6876 sentences across 1376 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Makers
Context Illustration Reading 1/1375 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.
First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.
He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.
He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.
Why not?
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.

Makers

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Makers is here in full — 6876 sentences across 1376 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/1375 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.
Line 2
First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.
Line 3
He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.
/hiː kept ðə ˈwɪndoʊz roʊld daʊn ənd briːðd ɪn ðə ˈswɑːmpi kuːl ˈmɔːrnɪŋ er ðə moʊst ˈprɑːməsɪŋ er ʌv ðə ˈflɔːrədə deɪ bɪˈfɔːr ɪt ɔːl tɜːrnd tuː stiːm ənd ˈsɪzəl/
Line 4
He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.
Line 5
Why not?
/waɪ nɑːt/

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.

cooler noun US /ˈkuːlər/

a refrigerator for cooling liquids

From this reading “Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.”

distilled verb US /dɪˈstɪld/

inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops

From this reading “First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.”

lethal adjective US /ˈliːθəl/

of an instrument of certain death

From this reading “First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.”

piss verb US /pɪs/

eliminate urine

From this reading “He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.”

programmed verb US /ˈproʊɡræmd/

inflected form of “program” — arrange a program of or for

From this reading “Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.”

sizzle verb US /ˈsɪzəl/

make a sound like frying fat

From this reading “He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.”

swampy adjective US /ˈswɑːmpi/

(of soil) soft and watery

From this reading “He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.”

thermos noun US /ˈθɜːrməs/

vacuum flask that preserves temperature of hot or cold drinks

From this reading “First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.”

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.

most promising adverb + adjective

In this reading “He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.”

morning air noun + noun

In this reading “He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

3

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

alarmnounUS /əˈlɑːrm/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

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 kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

AMauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

back-seat

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

botherverbUS /ˈbɑːðər/

take the trouble to do something; concern oneself

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

bottlesnounUS /ˈbɑːtəlz/

plural of “bottle” — a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

breathedadjectiveUS /briːðd/

uttered without voice

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

coffeenounUS /ˈkɑːfi/

a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

coffee-maker

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

cooladjectiveUS /kuːl/

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

coolernounUS /ˈkuːlər/

a refrigerator for cooling liquids

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

didn't

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

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

distilledverbUS /dɪˈstɪld/

inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

FloridanounUS /ˈflɔːrədə/

a state in southeastern United States between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

flyverbUS /flaɪ/

travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

guzzled

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

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

hitverbUS /hɪt/

cause to move by striking

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

icyadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsi/

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

lethaladjectiveUS /ˈliːθəl/

of an instrument of certain death

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

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

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

neededadjectiveUS /ˈniːdəd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Why not?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

pissverbUS /pɪs/

eliminate urine

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

programmedverbUS /ˈproʊɡræmd/

inflected form of “program” — arrange a program of or for

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

promisingadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːməsɪŋ/

showing possibility of achievement or excellence

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

pulledverbUS /pʊld/

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

rolledadjectiveUS /roʊld/

especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

rousedverbUS /raʊzd/

past form of “rouse” — become active

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

Sammy

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

sizzleverbUS /ˈsɪzəl/

make a sound like frying fat

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

steamverbUS /stiːm/

travel by means of steam power

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

stuckadjectiveUS /stʌk/

caught or fixed

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

swampyadjectiveUS /ˈswɑːmpi/

(of soil) soft and watery

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

thermosnounUS /ˈθɜːrməs/

vacuum flask that preserves temperature of hot or cold drinks

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

truck-stops

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

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

turnpike's

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

From this reading He didn't bother looking for truck-stops when he needed to piss, just pulled over on the turnpike's side and let fly.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading First he guzzled his thermos of lethal coffee, then reached around in back for bottles of icy distilled water.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Sammy had filled a cooler and stuck it in the back-seat of his car the night before, programmed his coffee-maker, and when his alarm roused him at 3AM, he hit the road.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why not?

windowsnounUS /ˈwɪndoʊz/

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading He kept the windows rolled down and breathed in the swampy, cool morning air, the most promising air of the Florida day, before it all turned to steam and sizzle.

Chapter 4 of Makers by Cory Doctorow holds 6876 sentences, grouped into 1376 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 4 of Makers contain?

Chapter 4 holds 6876 sentences of Makers, unabridged, divided into 1376 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Makers by Cory Doctorow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 6876 sentences, grouped into 1376 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 4 of Makers?

Work through the 1376 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 1376 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 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Makers

Common questions about reading Makers by Cory Doctorow on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Makers?

Yes. All 14243 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34527 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Makers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34527, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Makers take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2849 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Makers section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 4 chapters of Makers 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 Makers

Words and structures a reader meets early in Makers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

There's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Makers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dangerous
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Makers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Group
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Makers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Anti-copyright
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Makers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.