Chapter 3 of Before Egypt is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Before Egypt is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian. And this river. Look out ahead of us. See how it broadens. See the wide level fields on either side."
Chapter 3 of Before Egypt is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “Look out ahead of us.”
third-person singular of “broaden” — make broader
From this reading “See how it broadens.”
deem to be
From this reading “"At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.”
a native or inhabitant of Egypt
From this reading “"At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.”
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading “See the wide level fields on either side."”
a person who goes before or announces the coming of another
From this reading “"At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “See the wide level fields on either side."”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “See the wide level fields on either side."”
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.
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “Look out ahead of us.”
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 least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
at or in the front
From this reading Look out ahead of us.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And this river.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
third-person singular of “broaden” — make broader
From this reading See how it broadens.
deem to be
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
a native or inhabitant of Egypt
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
one or the other of two
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
a person who goes before or announces the coming of another
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See how it broadens.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading See how it broadens.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look out ahead of us.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Look out ahead of us.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading And this river.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See how it broadens.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And this river.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Look out ahead of us.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "At least a forerunner of what we consider Egyptian.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading See the wide level fields on either side."
Chapter 3 of Before Egypt by Robert Bloch holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Before Egypt, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Before Egypt by Robert Bloch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Before Egypt by Robert Bloch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1647 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30932 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30932, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 137 minutes of reading across 330 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Before Egypt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Before Egypt 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 Before Egypt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
