Chapter 7 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds. That's when I really woke up, Eric. That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed." "Annette. She died, you say?"
Chapter 7 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 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.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."”
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading “"It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.”
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading “"It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “"It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.”
worthless people
From this reading “"It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.”
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading “"It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “That's when I really woke up, Eric.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Annette.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
a young person of either sex
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She died, you say?"
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's when I really woke up, Eric.
yet to be or coming
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
the act of departing
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That's when I really woke up, Eric.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
engage in
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
and nothing more
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading That's when I really woke up, Eric.
express in words
From this reading She died, you say?"
worthless people
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She died, you say?"
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's when I really woke up, Eric.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
in or at that place or location
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That's when I knew there was going to be only one decision to make in the future--kill or be killed."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading That's when I really woke up, Eric.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
at the time that
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
which person or people
From this reading "It was a dirty scum of a government doctor who let her die on the table when he discovered the child weighed seven pounds.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading That's when I really woke up, Eric.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She died, you say?"
Chapter 7 of This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of This Crowded Earth, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 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.
