Chapter 2 of The Last Two Alive! is here in full — 580 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Last Two Alive! is here in full — 580 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea. The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft. Aram sat frozen before the controls. A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them. He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
Chapter 2 of The Last Two Alive! is here in full — 580 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/116 · 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.
past form of “careen” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.”
come together as in a cluster or flock
From this reading “He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.”
plural of “control” — power to direct or determine
From this reading “Aram sat frozen before the controls.”
plural of “flank” — the side of military or naval formation
From this reading “The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.”
(usually plural) a fragment scraped off of something and collected
From this reading “The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.”
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading “The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.”
a spacecraft designed to carry a crew into interstellar space (especially in science fiction)
From this reading “The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.”
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.
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 A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
at or in the front
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
the biblical name for ancient Syria
From this reading Aram sat frozen before the controls.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Aram sat frozen before the controls.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
past form of “careen” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
come together as in a cluster or flock
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
plural of “control” — power to direct or determine
From this reading Aram sat frozen before the controls.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
plural of “flank” — the side of military or naval formation
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading Aram sat frozen before the controls.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
not any; not one
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Aram sat frozen before the controls.
(usually plural) a fragment scraped off of something and collected
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
a spacecraft designed to carry a crew into interstellar space (especially in science fiction)
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He couldn't be sure that Mikal had gotten the Star Cluster free.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Ahead lay the second set of locks and then the shallows of the sea.
in or at that place or location
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
directed up
From this reading The small starship careened upward, scraping its flanks on the smooth metal of the shaft.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A thousand questions burned in his mind, and there were no sure answers for any of them.
Chapter 2 of The Last Two Alive! by Alfred Coppel holds 580 sentences, grouped into 116 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 2 holds 580 sentences of The Last Two Alive!, unabridged, divided into 116 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Last Two Alive! by Alfred Coppel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 580 sentences, grouped into 116 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 116 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 116 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 2 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 Two Alive! by Alfred Coppel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1178 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64759 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64759, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 98 minutes of reading across 236 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Two Alive! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Last Two Alive! 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 Two Alive!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
