Chapter 1 of The Last Place on Earth is here in full — 720 sentences across 144 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Last Place on Earth is here in full — 720 sentences across 144 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Naturally an undertaker will get the last word. But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead? Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much. He saluted. The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
Chapter 1 of The Last Place on Earth is here in full — 720 sentences across 144 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/144 · 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.
plural of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading “But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?”
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading “Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.”
lower someone's spirits; make downhearted
From this reading “Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.”
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease
From this reading “Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.”
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading “He saluted.”
of or relating to or forming or attached to a skeleton
From this reading “The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.”
one whose business is the management of funerals
From this reading “Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.”
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 Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
plural of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
lower someone's spirits; make downhearted
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
the act of grasping
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
immediately past
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
as might be expected
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading He saluted.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
of or relating to or forming or attached to a skeleton
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
one whose business is the management of funerals
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
up to a particular time
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading But shouldn't he wait until his clients are dead?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The skeletal figure in endless black nodded gravely, and took hold of Sam Collins' arm with a death grip.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Naturally an undertaker will get the last word.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sam Collins flashed the undertaker a healthy smile, hoping it wouldn't depress old Candle too much.
Chapter 1 of The Last Place on Earth by Jim Harmon holds 720 sentences, grouped into 144 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 1 holds 720 sentences of The Last Place on Earth, unabridged, divided into 144 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Last Place on Earth by Jim Harmon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 720 sentences, grouped into 144 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 144 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 144 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 1 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 Last Place on Earth by Jim Harmon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 720 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23426 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23426, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 60 minutes of reading across 144 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Place on Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Last Place on Earth 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 Last Place on Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
