Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The programmed people
The programmed people

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The programmed people is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The programmed people
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.
"Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.
"You are good.
Got that?
Good, with a capital tremendous.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The programmed people

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The programmed people is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.
Line 2
"Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.
/naʊ ˈlɪsən ˈswiːthɑːrt hiː sed/
Line 3
"You are good.
/juː ɑːr ɡʊd/
Line 4
Got that?
/ɡɑːt ðæt/
Line 5
Good, with a capital tremendous.
/ɡʊd wɪð ə ˈkæpətəl trəˈmendəs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

capital noun US /ˈkæpətəl/

assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading “Good, with a capital tremendous.”

ceiling noun US /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

the overhead upper surface of a covered space

From this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

leaned verb US /liːnd/

past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

sighed verb US /saɪd/

past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

sweetheart noun US /ˈswiːthɑːrt/

a person loved by another person

From this reading “"Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.”

swivel verb US /ˈswɪvəl/

turn on a pivot

From this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

tremendous adjective US /trəˈmendəs/

extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

From this reading “Good, with a capital tremendous.”

wire noun US /ˈwaɪər/

ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc

From this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

other end adjective + noun

In this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

at the ceiling preposition + article + noun counted as “at … ceiling”

In this reading “Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.”

All words in this reading · 44

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "You are good.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

capitalnounUS /ˈkæpətəl/

assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading Good, with a capital tremendous.

carefuladjectiveUS /ˈkerfəl/

exercising caution or showing care or attention

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

ceilingnounUS /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

the overhead upper surface of a covered space

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "You are good.

GotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Got that?

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

leanedverbUS /liːnd/

past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

Lennick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

listenverbUS /ˈlɪsən/

hear with intention

From this reading "Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

RobertnounUS /ˈrɑːbərt/

United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.

sighverbUS /saɪ/

heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

sighedverbUS /saɪd/

past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

sweetheartnounUS /ˈswiːthɑːrt/

a person loved by another person

From this reading "Now, listen, sweetheart," he said.

swivelverbUS /ˈswɪvəl/

turn on a pivot

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Got that?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

tremendousadjectiveUS /trəˈmendəs/

extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

From this reading Good, with a capital tremendous.

wirenounUS /ˈwaɪər/

ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Good, with a capital tremendous.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Robert Lennick leaned far back in his swivel chair, and sighed a deep sigh at the ceiling, being careful it would not be heard by the party on the other end of the wire.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You are good.

Chapter 7 of The programmed people by Jack Sharkey holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 7 of The programmed people contain?

Chapter 7 holds 149 sentences of The programmed people, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The programmed people by Jack Sharkey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of The programmed people?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

Questions about reading The programmed people

Common questions about reading The programmed people by Jack Sharkey on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The programmed people?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The programmed people is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The programmed people take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The programmed people section by section

How to work through The programmed people section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of The programmed people to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The programmed people

Words and structures a reader meets early in The programmed people, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The programmed people, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The programmed people, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The programmed people, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.