Chapter 4 of Scorched Earth is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Scorched Earth is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There were no regular markets and no trade occurred. At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis. The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead. No one ate for days. Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
Chapter 4 of Scorched Earth is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading “No one ate for days.”
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.”
plural of “market” — the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold
From this reading “There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.”
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading “At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.”
be extremely bad in quality or in one's performance
From this reading “Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.”
plural of “tomb” — a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
From this reading “The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.”
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 “At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.”
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 At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading No one ate for days.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading No one ate for days.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.
take in solid food
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading No one ate for days.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.
plural of “market” — the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
not any; not one
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one ate for days.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
not in physical motion
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
be extremely bad in quality or in one's performance
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Most could not eat from the stink of the ejaculations and blood that still covered the streets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
plural of “tomb” — a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
From this reading The buildings were the tombs and the people inside were the living dead.
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At night, the quiet was gravely frightening and it gave the entire land the atmosphere of a necropolis.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were no regular markets and no trade occurred.
Chapter 4 of Scorched Earth by Walter D. Petrovic holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Scorched Earth, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Scorched Earth by Walter D. Petrovic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Scorched Earth by Walter D. Petrovic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scorched Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Scorched Earth 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 Scorched Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
