Chapter 3 of Empire is here in full — 421 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 Empire is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ. Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass. "Don't sound so horrified. The loss is all on paper. My stocks have gone down.
Chapter 3 of Empire is here in full — 421 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.
the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.”
stricken with horror
From this reading “"Don't sound so horrified.”
something that is lost
From this reading “The loss is all on paper.”
plural of “rus” — the medieval Russian state established by Scandinavian traders in the 9th century; the capital was first in Novgorod and then in Kiev
From this reading “"A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.”
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading “My stocks have gone down.”
past form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading “Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.”
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 _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.
(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 The loss is all on paper.
the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen
From this reading "A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading "A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't sound so horrified.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading My stocks have gone down.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
destroyed or killed
From this reading My stocks have gone down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading My stocks have gone down.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
stricken with horror
From this reading "Don't sound so horrified.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The loss is all on paper.
something that is lost
From this reading The loss is all on paper.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My stocks have gone down.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The loss is all on paper.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The loss is all on paper.
plural of “rus” — the medieval Russian state established by Scandinavian traders in the 9th century; the capital was first in Novgorod and then in Kiev
From this reading "A _billion_ dollars?" gasped Russ.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Don't sound so horrified.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Don't sound so horrified.
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading My stocks have gone down.
past form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass.
Chapter 3 of Empire by Clifford D. Simak holds 421 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 421 sentences of Empire, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Empire by Clifford D. Simak exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 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 Empire by Clifford D. Simak on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 918 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Empire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Empire 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 Empire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
