Chapter 3 of Better Dead is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Better Dead is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment. The racket of the city was behind him. At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames. It was London, as it will be on the last day. With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
Chapter 3 of Better Dead is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
possessive form of “andrew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
From this reading “With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.”
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading “At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.”
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.”
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading “Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.”
a loud and disturbing noise
From this reading “The racket of the city was behind him.”
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading “Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.”
the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea
From this reading “At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.”
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 his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
possessive form of “andrew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The racket of the city was behind him.
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading The racket of the city was behind him.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The racket of the city was behind him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
immediately past
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
not in physical motion
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The racket of the city was behind him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
a loud and disturbing noise
From this reading The racket of the city was behind him.
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lost in reverie, the stranger stood motionless on the Embankment.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The racket of the city was behind him.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It was London, as it will be on the last day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With an effort he roused himself and took Andrew's arm.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading At his feet lay a drowned world, its lights choking in the Thames.
Chapter 3 of Better Dead by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 223 sentences of Better Dead, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Better Dead by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Better Dead by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Better Dead section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Better Dead 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 Better Dead, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
