Chapter 3 of A Diary Without Dates is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Diary Without Dates is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs.... Only walkers? No, there's a stretcher--and another...! Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry. The gallants play bridge without looking up.
Chapter 3 of A Diary Without Dates is here in full — 481 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading “At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....”
flash intermittently
From this reading “Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.”
a wooden framework on which canvas is stretched and fixed for oil painting
From this reading “No, there's a stretcher--and another...!”
plural of “thermometer” — measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading “Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.”
a vagrant
From this reading “At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....”
cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect
From this reading “Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.”
plural of “walker” — New Zealand runner who in 1975 became the first person to run a mile in less that 3 minutes and 50 seconds (born in 1952)
From this reading “Only walkers?”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading “Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.”
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 gallants play bridge without looking up.”
In this reading “The gallants play bridge without looking up.”
In this reading “At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....”
In this reading “At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the 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 At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No, there's a stretcher--and another...!
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading No, there's a stretcher--and another...!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading The gallants play bridge without looking up.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
flash intermittently
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gallants play bridge without looking up.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
immediately past
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The gallants play bridge without looking up.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
not any; not one
From this reading No, there's a stretcher--and another...!
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
and nothing more
From this reading Only walkers?
participate in games or sport
From this reading The gallants play bridge without looking up.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
a wooden framework on which canvas is stretched and fixed for oil painting
From this reading No, there's a stretcher--and another...!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, there's a stretcher--and another...!
plural of “thermometer” — measuring instrument for measuring temperature
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
a vagrant
From this reading At last a noise in the corridor, a tramp on the stairs....
cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The gallants play bridge without looking up.
plural of “walker” — New Zealand runner who in 1975 became the first person to run a mile in less that 3 minutes and 50 seconds (born in 1952)
From this reading Only walkers?
clean with some chemical process
From this reading Now reflection ends, my feet begin to move, my hands to undo bootlaces, flick down thermometers, wash and fetch and carry.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The gallants play bridge without looking up.
Chapter 3 of A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold holds 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 3 holds 481 sentences of A Diary Without Dates, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 481 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 3 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 A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1886 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31124 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31124, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 157 minutes of reading across 378 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Diary Without Dates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of A Diary Without Dates 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 A Diary Without Dates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
