Chapter 3 of Dancers in the Dark is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Dancers in the Dark is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It’s Twink, the drunken idiot. Twink, tell your tale.” They looked over to the lounge. A gentle snore was their response. “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
Chapter 3 of Dancers in the Dark is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading ““There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.”
given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol
From this reading ““It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.”
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading “A gentle snore was their response.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading ““It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.”
sit or recline comfortably
From this reading “They looked over to the lounge.”
a result
From this reading “A gentle snore was their response.”
breathe noisily during one's sleep
From this reading “A gentle snore was their response.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Twink, tell your tale.””
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 “They looked over to the lounge.”
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 gentle snore was their response.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol
From this reading “It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading A gentle snore was their response.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked over to the lounge.
sit or recline comfortably
From this reading They looked over to the lounge.
above and across; more than
From this reading They looked over to the lounge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
a result
From this reading A gentle snore was their response.
breathe noisily during one's sleep
From this reading A gentle snore was their response.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Twink, tell your tale.”
express in words
From this reading Twink, tell your tale.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A gentle snore was their response.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked over to the lounge.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They looked over to the lounge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s Twink, the drunken idiot.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A gentle snore was their response.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “There, what did I tell you?” demanded Packy.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Twink, tell your tale.”
Chapter 3 of Dancers in the Dark by Dorothy Speare holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Dancers in the Dark, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Dancers in the Dark by Dorothy Speare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Dancers in the Dark by Dorothy Speare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60176 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60176, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 483 minutes of reading across 1160 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dancers in the Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Dancers in the Dark 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 Dancers in the Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
