Chapter 18 of The Onslaught from Rigel is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Onslaught from Rigel is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition. "You mean these--mechanical monsters?" Sherman winced. "Like myself? No, sir, those are their slaves.
Chapter 18 of The Onslaught from Rigel is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading “The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.”
using (or as if using) mechanisms or tools or devices
From this reading “"You mean these--mechanical monsters?"”
plural of “monster” — an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading “"You mean these--mechanical monsters?"”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.”
United States general who was commander of all Union troops in the West; he captured Atlanta and led a destructive march to the sea that cut the Confederacy in two (1820-1891)
From this reading “Sherman winced.”
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading “No, sir, those are their slaves.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.”
past form of “wince” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “Sherman winced.”
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 “The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.”
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 The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No, sir, those are their slaves.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Like myself?
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You mean these--mechanical monsters?"
using (or as if using) mechanisms or tools or devices
From this reading "You mean these--mechanical monsters?"
plural of “monster” — an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading "You mean these--mechanical monsters?"
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Like myself?
not any; not one
From this reading No, sir, those are their slaves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
United States general who was commander of all Union troops in the West; he captured Atlanta and led a destructive march to the sea that cut the Confederacy in two (1820-1891)
From this reading Sherman winced.
term of address for a man
From this reading No, sir, those are their slaves.
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading No, sir, those are their slaves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading No, sir, those are their slaves.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "You mean these--mechanical monsters?"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading No, sir, those are their slaves.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The End of the Light-Ray "The Lassans?" said General Grierson, in a puzzled tone, looking at the sheet-clad apparition.
past form of “wince” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading Sherman winced.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You mean these--mechanical monsters?"
Chapter 18 of The Onslaught from Rigel by Fletcher Pratt holds 127 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.
Chapter 18 holds 127 sentences of The Onslaught from Rigel, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Onslaught from Rigel by Fletcher Pratt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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 Onslaught from Rigel by Fletcher Pratt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41049 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41049, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 366 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Onslaught from Rigel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Onslaught from Rigel 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 Onslaught from Rigel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
