Chapter 4 of People Minus X is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of People Minus X is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp. Futilely, of course. "Yes, I have guts!" he declared. "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you! I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
Chapter 4 of People Minus X is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
put in effect
From this reading “"I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!”
a person who is not a serf or a slave
From this reading “Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.”
possessive form of “freeman” — a person who is not a serf or a slave
From this reading “Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.”
hold firmly
From this reading “Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.”
fortitude and determination
From this reading “"Yes, I have guts!" he declared.”
a single distinct event
From this reading “I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.”
a broadcast of news or commentary on the news
From this reading “I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.”
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 wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.”
as might be expected
In this reading “Futilely, of course.”
get involved in or with
In this reading “I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.”
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.
put in effect
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
anew
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Futilely, of course.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "Yes, I have guts!" he declared.
a person who is not a serf or a slave
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
possessive form of “freeman” — a person who is not a serf or a slave
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
in a futile and unproductive manner
From this reading Futilely, of course.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
hold firmly
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
fortitude and determination
From this reading "Yes, I have guts!" he declared.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes, I have guts!" he declared.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I have guts!" he declared.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
a single distinct event
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
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 wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
a broadcast of news or commentary on the news
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Futilely, of course.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
not in physical motion
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I wanted the incident to get into the newscast--yes, to give me public attention.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now he began to struggle again, in Freeman's grasp.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I have guts!" he declared.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wanted to kill you, Freeman--with whatever means that are left that can still accomplish that with things like you!
Chapter 4 of People Minus X by Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of People Minus X, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of People Minus X by Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 People Minus X by Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke) Gallun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4431 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50063 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50063, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 369 minutes of reading across 887 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through People Minus X section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of People Minus X 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 People Minus X, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
