Chapter 6 of The Status Civilization is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Status Civilization is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?" "Of course," Jay said. "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal." "Thanks for telling me," Barrent said. "How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"
Chapter 6 of The Status Civilization is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading “"How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"”
the power to use something or someone
From this reading “"If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."”
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading “"And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"”
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading “"If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."”
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading “"Of course," Jay said.”
chosen in preference to another
From this reading “"If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."”
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading “"If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."”
marked by active interest and enthusiasm
From this reading “"If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."”
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 "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading "How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course," Jay said.
the power to use something or someone
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading "Of course," Jay said.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "How long do I have before the Hunt begins?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Thanks for telling me," Barrent said.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course," Jay said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
chosen in preference to another
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading "Thanks for telling me," Barrent said.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading "Thanks for telling me," Barrent said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
marked by active interest and enthusiasm
From this reading "If you had not been chosen in that way, the zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using whatever instruments were at its disposal."
Chapter 6 of The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Status Civilization, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4293 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20919 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20919, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 357 minutes of reading across 859 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Status Civilization section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Status Civilization 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 Status Civilization, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
