Chapter 4 of This Crowded Earth 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 IV
Chapter 4 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Twenty pounds of hamburger? You mean it?" The Secretary of State was smiling, too. "That's right." The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
Chapter 4 of This Crowded Earth 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.
an expectation
From this reading “The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.”
a sandwich consisting of a fried cake of minced beef served on a bun, often with other ingredients
From this reading “"Twenty pounds of hamburger?”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “"Twenty pounds of hamburger?”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “The Secretary of State was smiling, too.”
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.”
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading “The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.”
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.
an expectation
From this reading The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
a sandwich consisting of a fried cake of minced beef served on a bun, often with other ingredients
From this reading "Twenty pounds of hamburger?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You mean it?"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading You mean it?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Twenty pounds of hamburger?
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading "Twenty pounds of hamburger?
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "That's right."
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading The Secretary of State was smiling, too.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading The Secretary of State was smiling, too.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The Secretary of State was smiling, too.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's right."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Secretary of State was smiling, too.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The Secretary of State was smiling, too.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading "Twenty pounds of hamburger?
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading The President of the United States grinned in anticipation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Secretary of State was smiling, too.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You mean it?"
Chapter 4 of This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch 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 4 holds 438 sentences of This Crowded Earth, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch 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 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 This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3470 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25776 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25776, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 289 minutes of reading across 694 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through This Crowded Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of This Crowded Earth 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 This Crowded Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
