Chapter 3 of The Common Man is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Common Man is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why not?" Ross growled. "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people. Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'" "You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.
Chapter 3 of The Common Man is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “"You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “Ross growled.”
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"”
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading “Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"”
a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading “"Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.”
in an ominous manner
From this reading “"You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.”
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading “Ross growled.”
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading “Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"”
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 "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading "You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading Ross growled.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
of great significance or value
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
not any; not one
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why not?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
in an ominous manner
From this reading "You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading Ross growled.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You're not funny," Crowley said ominously.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Freedom of speech is more important than a few movie houses full of people.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
in or at that place or location
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why not?"
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Besides, if one man is allowed to jump up and yell fire, then somebody else can yell out 'You're a liar, there is no fire.'"
Chapter 3 of The Common Man by Mack Reynolds holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 3 holds 457 sentences of The Common Man, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Common Man by Mack Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 3 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 The Common Man by Mack Reynolds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1364 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23194 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23194, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 273 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Common Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Common Man 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 The Common Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
