Chapter 4 of Venus Enslaved is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Venus Enslaved is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He was being herded along a passage, up stairs. The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs. "No escape," they promised him balefully. He wondered at that, but only a little. Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
Chapter 4 of Venus Enslaved is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading “Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.”
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.”
prudent
From this reading “The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.”
past form of “herd” — cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading “He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.”
past form of “rail” — complain bitterly
From this reading “Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.”
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading “The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.”
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “He wondered at that, but only a little.”
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 “He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.”
In this reading “Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.”
In this reading “He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.”
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 He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He wondered at that, but only a little.
in a baleful manner
From this reading "No escape," they promised him balefully.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He wondered at that, but only a little.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading "No escape," they promised him balefully.
prudent
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
past form of “herd” — cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He wondered at that, but only a little.
not any; not one
From this reading "No escape," they promised him balefully.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
and nothing more
From this reading He wondered at that, but only a little.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading "No escape," they promised him balefully.
past form of “rail” — complain bitterly
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He wondered at that, but only a little.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No escape," they promised him balefully.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now they had brought him out upon an open, railed bridge between two buildings.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was being herded along a passage, up stairs.
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
which person or people
From this reading The Skygors who guarded him kept their weapons close against his ribs.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading He wondered at that, but only a little.
Chapter 4 of Venus Enslaved by Manly Wade Wellman holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 4 holds 401 sentences of Venus Enslaved, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Venus Enslaved by Manly Wade Wellman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 4 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 Venus Enslaved by Manly Wade Wellman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1622 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62137 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62137, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 135 minutes of reading across 325 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Venus Enslaved section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Venus Enslaved 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 Venus Enslaved, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
