Chapter 3 of God's Playthings is here in full — 423 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 God's Playthings is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?” “Sit down,” she said. He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression. “What do you want of me, Madonna?” he asked. “Ahè!” she cried.
Chapter 3 of God's Playthings is here in full — 423 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.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading ““You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?””
a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
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.
take a seat
In this reading ““Sit down,” she said.”
In this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
In this reading “He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.”
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 He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ahè!” she cried.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What do you want of me, Madonna?” he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Ahè!” she cried.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you want of me, Madonna?” he asked.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Sit down,” she said.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Sit down,” she said.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Sit down,” she said.
be seated
From this reading “Sit down,” she said.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “What do you want of me, Madonna?” he asked.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you want of me, Madonna?” he asked.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He seated himself on the marble rim and stared at her; his fresh face wore a puzzled expression.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You look as if you were afraid of me—” “Afraid of you–I, Madonna?”
Chapter 3 of God's Playthings by Marjorie Bowen holds 423 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 423 sentences of God's Playthings, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of God's Playthings by Marjorie Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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 God's Playthings by Marjorie Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3402 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49504 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49504, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 681 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through God's Playthings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of God's Playthings 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 God's Playthings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
