Chapter 3 of His Master's Voice is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of His Master's Voice is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat. The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel. I opened my eyes. It was Vivian Deveraux. I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
Chapter 3 of His Master's Voice is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
shining intensely
From this reading “There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.”
severely critical
From this reading “There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.”
a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
From this reading “The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.”
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.”
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 “The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.”
In this reading “The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “I tried to say something, but nothing came out.”
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 The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
shining intensely
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
blow hard and loudly
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Vivian Deveraux.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I opened my eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
start firing a weapon
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Vivian Deveraux.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading I opened my eyes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
express in words
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
severely critical
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
a person, without saying who
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
a special situation
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Vivian Deveraux.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading The next thing I knew, somebody was wiping my face with a cold, wet towel.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was an instant of blinding pain, and I heard the hypogun go _chuff!_ as my muscles tightened with the searing fire in my throat.
Chapter 3 of His Master's Voice by Randall Garrett holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of His Master's Voice, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of His Master's Voice by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 His Master's Voice by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1201 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48513 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48513, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 100 minutes of reading across 241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through His Master's Voice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of His Master's Voice 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 His Master's Voice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
