Chapter 6 of The Fire People is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Fire People is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MIELA. The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat. She continued smiling. Alan stood up and faced her. He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
Chapter 6 of The Fire People is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “Alan stood up and faced her.”
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “She continued smiling.”
bound or secured closely
From this reading “The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.”
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alan stood up and faced her.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
without stop or interruption
From this reading She continued smiling.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading Alan stood up and faced her.
a young female
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Alan stood up and faced her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MIELA.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
express in words
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She continued smiling.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading She continued smiling.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
bound or secured closely
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading The girl stood quiet beside the tree, watching Alan as he tied up his boat.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading He wondered what he should say--whether she could understand him any better than he could her.
Chapter 6 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 116 sentences of The Fire People, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 The Fire People by Ray Cummings on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4561 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25780 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25780, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 380 minutes of reading across 913 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fire People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Fire People 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 Fire People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
