Chapter 27 of The Fire People is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Fire People is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY. Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls. We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded. I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women. I shall not describe it.
Chapter 27 of The Fire People is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
darkened by smoke
From this reading “I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.”
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading “Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.”
plural of “platform” — a raised horizontal surface
From this reading “We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.”
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading “THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.”
used of automobiles; completely demolished
From this reading “Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.”
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading “I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.”
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading “I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.”
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 Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
darkened by smoke
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.
give a description of
From this reading I shall not describe it.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
ten 10s
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I shall not describe it.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
the force of workers available
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I shall not describe it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
on one occasion
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
plural of “platform” — a raised horizontal surface
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SIEGE OF THE LONE CITY.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
used of automobiles; completely demolished
From this reading Our losses totaled nearly a hundred and fifty girls.
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
people who are wounded
From this reading We brought back with us on the platforms but six wounded.
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading I shall never forget that hour we spent searching among the wreckage--those blackened, twisted forms of what had once been men and women.
Chapter 27 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 27 holds 156 sentences of The Fire People, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Fire People by Ray Cummings exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 27 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.
