Chapter 6 of The silent invaders is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The silent invaders is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor. It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down. He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move. The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed. Beth woke first.
Chapter 6 of The silent invaders is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
From this reading “Beth woke first.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.”
United States author who wrote the stories about Uncle Remus (1848-1908)
From this reading “Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.”
assets that are saleable though not material or physical
From this reading “It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.”
not active or activated
From this reading “He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.”
plural of “victim” — an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading “The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Beth woke first.”
past form of “yank” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.”
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.
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
From this reading Beth woke first.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Beth woke first.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
United States author who wrote the stories about Uncle Remus (1848-1908)
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
assets that are saleable though not material or physical
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
staying power
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
in motion
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
not active or activated
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
(of speed) less than that of sound in a designated medium
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
in the direction of
From this reading Gently Harris felt himself falling toward the floor.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
plural of “victim” — an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading The victims of the subsonic slowly returned to consciousness as the minutes passed.
nonexistent
From this reading He lay quiescent, eyes open, neither moving nor wanting to move.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Beth woke first.
past form of “yank” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading It was as if an intangible hand had yanked his legs out from under him and eased him down.
Chapter 6 of The silent invaders by Robert Silverberg holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 211 sentences of The silent invaders, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The silent invaders by Robert Silverberg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 silent invaders by Robert Silverberg 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 silent invaders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The silent invaders 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 silent invaders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
