Chapter 20 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"NO!" Conley burst out. "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!" "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly. "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
Chapter 20 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “Conley burst out.”
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading “"Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.”
possessive form of “empire” — the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading “"The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"”
without strain or anxiety
From this reading “"Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"”
possessive form of “statement” — a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading “"Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.”
the environmental condition
From this reading “"Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “"The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"”
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.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Conley burst out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Conley burst out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
possessive form of “empire” — the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
not any; not one
From this reading "NO!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Conley burst out.
without strain or anxiety
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
possessive form of “statement” — a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
the environmental condition
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly.
Chapter 20 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel by Ann Wilson holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel by Ann Wilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 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.
