Chapter 7 of The Status Civilization is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Status Civilization is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place. He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him. His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down. There seemed no way of destroying it. His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
Chapter 7 of The Status Civilization is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 “destroy” — do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading “There seemed no way of destroying it.”
more quickly
From this reading “His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.”
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading “He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.”
inflected form of “lop” — cut off from a whole
From this reading “Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.”
past form of “regenerate” — reestablish on a new, usually improved, basis or make new or like new
From this reading “His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.”
closely encircling
From this reading “He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.”
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading “Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.”
plural of “vine” — a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
From this reading “Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.”
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 His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
-ing form of “destroy” — do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading There seemed no way of destroying it.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
more quickly
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
inflected form of “lop” — cut off from a whole
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
not any; not one
From this reading There seemed no way of destroying it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There seemed no way of destroying it.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
and nothing more
From this reading His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
past form of “regenerate” — reestablish on a new, usually improved, basis or make new or like new
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There seemed no way of destroying it.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
move hurridly
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
closely encircling
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There seemed no way of destroying it.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His only hope lay in the tree's slow movements.
equally skillful with each hand
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
plural of “vine” — a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
From this reading Using his sword two-handed, Barrent lopped off vines; others grew in their place.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There seemed no way of destroying it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His arms were becoming tired, and the tree regenerated faster than he could cut it down.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He worked with frantic speed to keep the vines from surrounding him.
Chapter 7 of The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 7 holds 438 sentences of The Status Civilization, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 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.
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.
