Chapter 3 of Aliens is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Aliens is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes! How are you all? Well, I hope. I received your little present on the anniversary. Many thanks, old girl.
Chapter 3 of Aliens is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
the date on which an event occurred in some previous year (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “I received your little present on the anniversary.”
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!”
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!”
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “I received your little present on the anniversary.”
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading “I received your little present on the anniversary.”
refrain from harming
From this reading “A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!”
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading “Many thanks, old girl.”
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 “Many thanks, old girl.”
In this reading “I received your little present on the anniversary.”
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 LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
(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 How are you all?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
the date on which an event occurred in some previous year (or the celebration of it)
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How are you all?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
dearly loved
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
a young female
From this reading Many thanks, old girl.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Well, I hope.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How are you all?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
immediately past
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many thanks, old girl.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Many thanks, old girl.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
refrain from harming
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading Many thanks, old girl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, I hope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
in the company of; together with
From this reading A LETTER FROM WIGBOROUGH Dear Bill,--At last I find myself with an hour or so to spare, so here goes!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How are you all?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I received your little present on the anniversary.
Chapter 3 of Aliens by William McFee holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 266 sentences of Aliens, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Aliens by William McFee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Aliens by William McFee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7964 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31241 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31241, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1593 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aliens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Aliens 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 Aliens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
