Chapter 20 of Annihilation is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Annihilation is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?” It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence. The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court. “Yes. He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
Chapter 20 of Annihilation is here in full — 282 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?””
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading “He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.””
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading “MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?””
United States sociologist (1902-1979)
From this reading “It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.”
having a point
From this reading “The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.”
-ing form of “prowl” — move about in or as if in a predatory manner
From this reading “The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.”
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading “It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.”
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading “He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.””
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.
In this reading “The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.”
In this reading “MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?””
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.””
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
United States sociologist (1902-1979)
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
having a point
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
-ing form of “prowl” — move about in or as if in a predatory manner
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
up to a particular time
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading He’ll go on like that till he drops in his tracks.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was an hour later, and McCarty and Dennis were coming down the steps of the Parsons residence.
in or at the place that
From this reading The latter pointed across the street to where Max was prowling up and down the court.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading MAX “Is that the poor beast you told me about?”
Chapter 20 of Annihilation by Isabel Ostrander holds 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 20 holds 282 sentences of Annihilation, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Annihilation by Isabel Ostrander exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 282 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 20 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 Annihilation by Isabel Ostrander on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5459 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72948 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72948, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 454 minutes of reading across 1092 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Annihilation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Annihilation 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 Annihilation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
