Chapter 3 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I glanced sideways at Foster. He didn't look like a nut.... "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety." "You find my appearance strangely youthful. What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
Chapter 3 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?”
promote the growth of
From this reading “I glanced sideways at Foster.”
being ten more than eighty
From this reading “"All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."”
usually large hard-shelled seed
From this reading “He didn't look like a nut....”
(chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others
From this reading “What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?”
with one side forward or to the front
From this reading “I glanced sideways at Foster.”
in a strange manner
From this reading “"You find my appearance strangely youthful.”
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
From this reading “"You find my appearance strangely youthful.”
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 “I glanced sideways at Foster.”
In this reading “What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?”
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 didn't look like a nut....
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading "You find my appearance strangely youthful.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I glanced sideways at Foster.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He didn't look like a nut....
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "You find my appearance strangely youthful.
promote the growth of
From this reading I glanced sideways at Foster.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading I glanced sideways at Foster.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He didn't look like a nut....
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I glanced sideways at Foster.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He didn't look like a nut....
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He didn't look like a nut....
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You find my appearance strangely youthful.
being ten more than eighty
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
usually large hard-shelled seed
From this reading He didn't look like a nut....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
the time that has elapsed
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
(chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
express in words
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
with one side forward or to the front
From this reading I glanced sideways at Foster.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
in a strange manner
From this reading "You find my appearance strangely youthful.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You find my appearance strangely youthful.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All I've got to say is," I said, "you're a hell of a spry-looking ninety."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What would be your reaction if I told you that I've aged greatly in the past few months?
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
From this reading "You find my appearance strangely youthful.
Chapter 3 of A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer holds 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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 351 sentences of A Trace of Memory, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51712 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51712, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 458 minutes of reading across 1102 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Trace of Memory section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Trace of Memory 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 Trace of Memory, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
