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The Last Man
The Last Man

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Last Man is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Last Man
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?
Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?
See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?
Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?
No! none of these things accompanied our fall!
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Last Man

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Last Man is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?
/hiːr juː nɑːt ðə ˈrʌʃɪŋ saʊnd ʌv ðə ˈkʌmɪŋ ˈtempəst/
Line 2
Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?
/duː juː nɑːt bɪˈhoʊld ðə klaʊdz ˈoʊ.pən ənd dɪˈstrʌkʃən ˈlʊrəd ənd daɪr pɔːr daʊn ɑːn ðə ˈblæstəd ɜːrθ/
Line 3
See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?
Line 4
Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?
Line 5
No! none of these things accompanied our fall!
/noʊ nʌn ʌv ðiːz θɪŋz əˈkʌmpənid ˈaʊər fɔːl/

Learner Dictionary

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.

agonizing adjective US /ˈæɡənaɪzɪŋ/

extremely painful

From this reading “Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?”

blasted adjective US /ˈblæstəd/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading “Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?”

dire adjective US /daɪr/

fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless

From this reading “Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?”

lurid adjective US /ˈlʊrəd/

horrible in fierceness or savagery

From this reading “Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?”

pregnant adjective US /ˈpreɡnənt/

carrying developing offspring within the body or being about to produce new life

From this reading “Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?”

quake verb US /kweɪk/

shake with fast, tremulous movements

From this reading “Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?”

shrieks noun US /ʃriːks/

plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry

From this reading “Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?”

thunderbolt noun US /ˈθʌndərbɔːlt/

a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder

From this reading “See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

accompaniedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌmpənid/

having companions or an escort

From this reading No! none of these things accompanied our fall!

agonizingadjectiveUS /ˈæɡənaɪzɪŋ/

extremely painful

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

announcingverbUS /əˈnaʊnsɪŋ/

-ing form of “announce” — make known; make an announcement

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

beholdverbUS /bɪˈhoʊld/

see with attention

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

blastedadjectiveUS /ˈblæstəd/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

cloudsnounUS /klaʊdz/

plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

deafenedadjective

caused to hear poorly or not at all

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/

An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

destructionnounUS /dɪˈstrʌkʃən/

the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

direadjectiveUS /daɪr/

fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

FeelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

followsverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊz/

third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

groansnounUS /ɡroʊnz/

plural of “groan” — an utterance expressing pain or disapproval

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

HearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

heavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

luridadjectiveUS /ˈlʊrəd/

horrible in fierceness or savagery

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No! none of these things accompanied our fall!

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading No! none of these things accompanied our fall!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading No! none of these things accompanied our fall!

pourverbUS /pɔːr/

cause to run

From this reading Do you not behold the clouds open, and destruction lurid and dire pour down on the blasted earth?

pregnantadjectiveUS /ˈpreɡnənt/

carrying developing offspring within the body or being about to produce new life

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

quakeverbUS /kweɪk/

shake with fast, tremulous movements

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

rushingnounUS /ˈrʌʃɪŋ/

(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

SeeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

shoutverbUS /ʃaʊt/

utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

shrieksnounUS /ʃriːks/

plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

tempestnounUS /ˈtempəst/

a violent commotion or disturbance

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading No! none of these things accompanied our fall!

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading No! none of these things accompanied our fall!

thunderboltnounUS /ˈθʌndərbɔːlt/

a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder

From this reading See you not the thunderbolt fall, and are deafened by the shout of heaven that follows its descent?

wailings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Feel you not the earth quake and open with agonizing groans, while the air is pregnant with shrieks and wailings,— all announcing the last days of man?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Hear you not the rushing sound of the coming tempest?

Chapter 21 of The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

What does chapter 21 of The Last Man contain?

Chapter 21 holds 130 sentences of The Last Man, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of The Last Man?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading The Last Man

Common questions about reading The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Last Man?

Yes. All 6659 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18247 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Last Man is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18247, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Last Man take to read?

About 554 minutes of reading across 1332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Last Man section by section

How to work through The Last Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Last Man to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Last Man

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Last Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Native
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sea-surrounded
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cloud-enshadowed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Surface
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.