Chapter 9 of The programmed people is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The programmed people is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell. "This won't be pleasant," he warned. "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it. I can't much blame her, either." He stopped as the door opened.
Chapter 9 of The programmed people is here in full — 118 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.
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
put or pin the blame on
From this reading “I can't much blame her, either."”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
connected by participation or association or use
From this reading “"I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.”
United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure
From this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange
From this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “"This won't be pleasant," he warned.”
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.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
In this reading “Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.”
In this reading “"I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
any thing at all
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He stopped as the door opened.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading I can't much blame her, either."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't much blame her, either."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
one or the other of two
From this reading I can't much blame her, either."
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
the act of departing
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I can't much blame her, either."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
connected by participation or association or use
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I can't much blame her, either."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He stopped as the door opened.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading He stopped as the door opened.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Arriving at the door to Grace Horton's Unit, Lloyd paused with his finger not quite pressing the bell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This won't be pleasant," he warned.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I've never done anything like this before--getting involved with you, I mean--and I don't think Grace is going to like it.
Chapter 9 of The programmed people by Jack Sharkey holds 118 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 9 holds 118 sentences of The programmed people, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The programmed people by Jack Sharkey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 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 9 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 programmed people by Jack Sharkey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The programmed people section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The programmed 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 programmed people, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
