Chapter 4 of Worlds of the Imperium is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Worlds of the Imperium is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I woke up with a start. My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved. I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up. There was something wrong. Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.
Chapter 4 of Worlds of the Imperium is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading “My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.”
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.”
a humming noise
From this reading “Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.”
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading “My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.”
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading “Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “I woke up with a start.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
cause to become awake or conscious
In this reading “I woke up with a start.”
In this reading “My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.”
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 I woke up with a start.
in an offensive and hateful manner
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.
a humming noise
From this reading Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I woke up with a start.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading I groaned, dragged my feet down off the desk, and sat up.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something wrong.
in the near future
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I woke up with a start.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My neck ached abominably; so did the rest of me, as soon as I moved.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something wrong.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I woke up with a start.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was something wrong.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Winter was gone and the humming had stopped.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I woke up with a start.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading I woke up with a start.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading There was something wrong.
Chapter 4 of Worlds of the Imperium by Keith Laumer holds 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 299 sentences of Worlds of the Imperium, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Worlds of the Imperium by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 299 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Worlds of the Imperium by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3918 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65792 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65792, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 326 minutes of reading across 784 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Worlds of the Imperium section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Worlds of the Imperium 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 Worlds of the Imperium, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
