Chapter 6 of Plague of Pythons is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Plague of Pythons is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged. Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded. "All this stuff I have. You can pick it up this afternoon if you like." Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
Chapter 6 of Plague of Pythons is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
further or added
From this reading “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959)
From this reading “Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.”
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.”
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
harmed or injured or spoiled
From this reading “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
arrange in a container
From this reading “Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.”
the act of furnishing an equivalent person or thing in the place of another
From this reading “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading “Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.”
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 “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
In this reading “Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.”
belong to an earlier time
In this reading “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
In this reading “* * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.”
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 Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
further or added
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
(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 "All this stuff I have.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959)
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
harmed or injured or spoiled
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "All this stuff I have.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "All this stuff I have.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
arrange in a container
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
the local environment
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
select carefully from a group
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
a full supply
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
with speed
From this reading Hsi glanced at it quickly and nodded.
the act of furnishing an equivalent person or thing in the place of another
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading Chandler offered him a cigarette out of a stale pack.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading "All this stuff I have.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "All this stuff I have.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
in the company of; together with
From this reading * * * * * The next morning he went back to Parts 'n Plenty with an additional list, covering replacement of some parts that had been damaged.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You can pick it up this afternoon if you like."
Chapter 6 of Plague of Pythons by Frederik Pohl holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of Plague of Pythons, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Plague of Pythons by Frederik Pohl exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Plague of Pythons by Frederik Pohl on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3071 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plague of Pythons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Plague of Pythons 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 Plague of Pythons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
