Chapter 8 of The Fire People is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Fire People is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ESCAPE. The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them. By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party. I stopped, wondering what would happen next. The man guarding me was still close at hand.
Chapter 8 of The Fire People is here in full — 117 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.
past form of “accord” — go together
From this reading “By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.”
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading “By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.”
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading “By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.”
-ing form of “guard” — to keep watch over
From this reading “The man guarding me was still close at hand.”
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading “By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.”
an adherent of any branch of Taoism
From this reading “By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.”
showing curiosity
From this reading “I stopped, wondering what would happen next.”
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.
past form of “accord” — go together
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
(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 The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The man guarding me was still close at hand.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The man guarding me was still close at hand.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
recognizable; marked
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading THE ESCAPE.
-ing form of “guard” — to keep watch over
From this reading The man guarding me was still close at hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The man guarding me was still close at hand.
come to pass
From this reading I stopped, wondering what would happen next.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man guarding me was still close at hand.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I stopped, wondering what would happen next.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
not in physical motion
From this reading The man guarding me was still close at hand.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I stopped, wondering what would happen next.
an adherent of any branch of Taoism
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ESCAPE.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
in the direction of
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By the respect they accorded Tao, and his attitude toward them, I decided he was the leader of the entire party.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The Mercutians all regarded me curiously as we came among them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I stopped, wondering what would happen next.
showing curiosity
From this reading I stopped, wondering what would happen next.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I stopped, wondering what would happen next.
Chapter 8 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings holds 117 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 8 holds 117 sentences of The Fire People, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 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 8 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.
