Chapter 10 of The Jewels of Aptor is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Jewels of Aptor is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand. The sound of wings had stopped. "Where do we go now?" Urson asked. "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
Chapter 10 of The Jewels of Aptor is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading “Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.”
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading “"Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.”
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading “Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.”
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading “"Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.”
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading “Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “The sound of wings had stopped.”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading “The sound of wings had stopped.”
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.
In this reading “"Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.”
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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Urson asked.
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Where do we go now?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Where do we go now?"
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sound of wings had stopped.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Where do we go now?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sound of wings had stopped.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi.
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound of wings had stopped.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The sound of wings had stopped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Urson asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Where do we go now?"
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where do we go now?"
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading The sound of wings had stopped.
Chapter 10 of The Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delany holds 373 sentences, grouped into 75 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 10 holds 373 sentences of The Jewels of Aptor, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delany exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 373 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 10 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 Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delany on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4541 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41981 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41981, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 378 minutes of reading across 909 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jewels of Aptor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Jewels of Aptor 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 Jewels of Aptor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
