Chapter 4 of Shannach—The Last is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Shannach—The Last is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Will it fly?" "I told you I don't know yet. It would take a lot of work." "There are many slaves to do this work." "Yes.
Chapter 4 of Shannach—The Last is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “"Will it fly?"”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “It would take a lot of work."”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “"There are many slaves to do this work."”
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading “"There are many slaves to do this work."”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “"I told you I don't know yet.”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “It would take a lot of work."”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Yes.”
but in spite of that
From this reading “"I told you I don't know yet.”
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.
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 would take a lot of work."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I told you I don't know yet.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading "Will it fly?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I told you I don't know yet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Will it fly?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I told you I don't know yet.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading It would take a lot of work."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It would take a lot of work."
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
carry out
From this reading It would take a lot of work."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There are many slaves to do this work."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I told you I don't know yet.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Will it fly?"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It would take a lot of work."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would take a lot of work."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes.
but in spite of that
From this reading "I told you I don't know yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I told you I don't know yet.
Chapter 4 of Shannach—The Last by Leigh Brackett holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Shannach—The Last, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Shannach—The Last by Leigh Brackett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Shannach—The Last by Leigh Brackett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1662 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64026 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64026, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 138 minutes of reading across 333 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shannach—The Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Shannach—The Last 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 Shannach—The Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
