Chapter 21 of Annihilation is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Annihilation is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!” Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents. “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute! That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you! Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
Chapter 21 of Annihilation is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
plural of “accent” — distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.”
rescue equipment consisting of a device that fills with air and retards your fall
From this reading ““You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!”
United States physicist who developed the first successful liquid-fueled rocket (1882-1945)
From this reading “That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!”
stricken with horror
From this reading “Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.”
the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
From this reading “Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.”
wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
From this reading “THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!””
a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading “Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!”
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading “Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!”
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.
an expedient adopted only in desperation
In this reading “Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!”
In this reading ““You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!”
In this reading “That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!”
In this reading ““You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!”
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 Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
plural of “accent” — distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!”
placed in a grave
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
rescue equipment consisting of a device that fills with air and retards your fall
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.
a boy or man
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!”
United States physicist who developed the first successful liquid-fueled rocket (1882-1945)
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
stricken with horror
From this reading Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
immediately past
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
and nothing more
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
From this reading Orbit exclaimed in horrified accents.
wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
From this reading THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!”
a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
express in words
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BLACK PYRE “Good God!”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading Surely this is only a vague supposition, a last resort!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That he was buried beneath the coal!—Goddard, my old friend, what can I say to you!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You don’t mean that the little fellow tumbled down the chute!
Chapter 21 of Annihilation by Isabel Ostrander holds 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 21 holds 174 sentences of Annihilation, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Annihilation by Isabel Ostrander exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 21 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.
