Chapter 4 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar. The line was solid. "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap. The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting. "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
Chapter 4 of The Universe — or Nothing is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar
From this reading “The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.”
a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures
From this reading “"Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.”
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.”
having an illustrious reputation; respected
From this reading “"Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"”
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading “The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.”
a garment worn around the head or neck or shoulders for warmth or decoration
From this reading “"Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"”
tangled in knots or snarls
From this reading “"Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.”
a piece of armor plate (with eye slits) fixed or hinged to a medieval helmet to protect the face
From this reading “Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.”
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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
to a considerable degree
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
having an illustrious reputation; respected
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The line was solid.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
plural of “rank” — a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
rimmed with red
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
done under pressure
From this reading The barman rushed forward and raised his hand in respectful greeting.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
a garment worn around the head or neck or shoulders for warmth or decoration
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
tangled in knots or snarls
From this reading "Open ranks," he snarled, and leaned heavily into the instant gap.
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading The line was solid.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
a piece of armor plate (with eye slits) fixed or hinged to a medieval helmet to protect the face
From this reading Deep, red-rimmed eyes glared from under the helmet's visor, searching for an open space along the bar.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The line was solid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Honored to see you, Major Scarf," he said, "what'll it be?"
Chapter 4 of The Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 4 holds 425 sentences of The Universe — or Nothing, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 4 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 Universe — or Nothing by Meyer Moldeven on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5871 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 489 minutes of reading across 1175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Universe — or Nothing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Universe — or Nothing 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 Universe — or Nothing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
