Chapter 2 of Sjambak is here in full — 542 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Sjambak is here in full — 542 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yeah. I'm one of the leg men." "Must be a great job." "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff." Trimmer nodded without surprise.
Chapter 2 of Sjambak is here in full — 542 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/108 · 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 splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading “"A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."”
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading “I'm one of the leg men."”
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading “"A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."”
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading “"A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “"A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."”
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “"A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."”
a worker who thins out and trims trees and shrubs
From this reading “Trimmer nodded without surprise.”
not only so, but
From this reading “"Yeah.”
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.
be beset by
In this reading “"A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."”
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 "Must be a great job."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Must be a great job."
a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Must be a great job."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm one of the leg men."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading "Must be a great job."
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading I'm one of the leg men."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
the force of workers available
From this reading I'm one of the leg men."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Must be a great job."
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Trimmer nodded without surprise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I'm one of the leg men."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I'm one of the leg men."
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Trimmer nodded without surprise.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I'm one of the leg men."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "A man sees a lot of the galaxy, and he runs into queer tales, like this sjambak stuff."
a worker who thins out and trims trees and shrubs
From this reading Trimmer nodded without surprise.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Trimmer nodded without surprise.
not only so, but
From this reading "Yeah.
Chapter 2 of Sjambak by Jack Vance holds 542 sentences, grouped into 109 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 2 holds 542 sentences of Sjambak, unabridged, divided into 109 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Sjambak by Jack Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 542 sentences, grouped into 109 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 109 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 109 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 2 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 Sjambak by Jack Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1089 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30002 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30002, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 90 minutes of reading across 218 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sjambak section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Sjambak 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 Sjambak, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
