Chapter 17 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Drugs were bad . . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse. "Do what you think best," she managed. An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
Chapter 17 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading “An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.”
plural of “disclosure” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “. but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.”
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading “An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.”
plural of “drug” — a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic
From this reading “Drugs were bad .”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “. but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.”
of the present time and place
From this reading “An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “"Do what you think best," she managed.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.”
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 An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Drugs were bad .
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
plural of “disclosure” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
plural of “drug” — a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic
From this reading Drugs were bad .
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
intense and profound fear
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
of the present time and place
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Drugs were bad .
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do what you think best," she managed.
Chapter 17 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel by Ann Wilson holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 17 holds 397 sentences of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel by Ann Wilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 17 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 The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel by Ann Wilson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10415 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25739 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25739, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2083 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel 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 The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
