Chapter 5 of Pariah Planet is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Pariah Planet is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air. The armed men were cadaverous. Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground. Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them. Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
Chapter 5 of Pariah Planet is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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 “captor” — a person who captures and holds people or animals
From this reading “Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.”
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading “It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.”
in a relaxed manner; not rigid
From this reading “Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.”
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading “It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.”
devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
From this reading “Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.”
dressed in a uniform
From this reading “Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.”
plural of “uniform” — clothing of distinctive design worn by members of a particular group as a means of identification
From this reading “Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading The armed men were cadaverous.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
From this reading The armed men were cadaverous.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
plural of “captor” — a person who captures and holds people or animals
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
in a relaxed manner; not rigid
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
the force of workers available
From this reading The armed men were cadaverous.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
dressed in a uniform
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
plural of “uniform” — clothing of distinctive design worn by members of a particular group as a means of identification
From this reading Calhoun's captors were uniformed, but the uniforms hung loosely upon them.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Lights came on, and stark, harsh shadows lay black upon the ground.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed that the smell of hunger was in the air.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The armed men were cadaverous.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where the lights struck upon their faces, their cheeks were hollow.
Chapter 5 of Pariah Planet by Murray Leinster holds 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 5 holds 481 sentences of Pariah Planet, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Pariah Planet by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 5 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 Pariah Planet by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3057 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29448 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29448, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 612 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pariah Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Pariah 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 Pariah Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
