Chapter 3 of Breaking Point is here in full — 412 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 Breaking Point is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort." His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes. "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself." "You think I can?" "Yes."
Chapter 3 of Breaking Point is here in full — 412 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.
United States author whose works were frequently autobiographical (1876-1941)
From this reading “"You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."”
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading “"You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."”
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading “His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.”
parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
From this reading “His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.”
not submissive to authority
From this reading “"You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."”
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
From this reading “"Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “"Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."”
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading “His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.”
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 "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
United States author whose works were frequently autobiographical (1876-1941)
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You think I can?"
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
opinion or judgment
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
not submissive to authority
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
offensive or even (of persons) malicious
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
above and across; more than
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading His slight smile faded, and horizontal furrows appeared over his eyes.
express in words
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You think I can?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Tell me why I had that nasty little phase of doubt about myself."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You think I can?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're insubordinate, Paresi," said Anderson, "and you're a great comfort."
Chapter 3 of Breaking Point by James E. Gunn holds 412 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 412 sentences of Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Breaking Point by James E. Gunn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 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 Breaking Point by James E. Gunn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1659 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21988 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21988, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 138 minutes of reading across 332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Breaking Point section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Breaking Point 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 Breaking Point, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
