Chapter 3 of Insect Adventures is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Insect Adventures is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils. This was open-air geometry, practical surveying. When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields. It was a regular holiday. We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
Chapter 3 of Insect Adventures is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 time and process of budding and unfolding of blossoms
From this reading “We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.”
the pure mathematics of points and lines and curves and surfaces
From this reading “This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.”
plural of “pebble” — a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading “We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.”
plural of “pupil” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading “THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.”
curving and somewhat round in shape rather than jagged
From this reading “We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.”
a room in a school where lessons take place
From this reading “When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.”
the practice of measuring angles and distances on the ground so that they can be accurately plotted on a map
From this reading “This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.”
any of various mints of the genus Thymus
From this reading “We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.”
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.
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 MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
the two together, not just one
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
the time and process of budding and unfolding of blossoms
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
the pure mathematics of points and lines and curves and surfaces
From this reading This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.
depressingly dark
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading It was a regular holiday.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a regular holiday.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
on one occasion
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
in the open air
From this reading This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
plural of “pebble” — a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.
plural of “pupil” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading It was a regular holiday.
curving and somewhat round in shape rather than jagged
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
an educational institution
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
a room in a school where lessons take place
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
the practice of measuring angles and distances on the ground so that they can be accurately plotted on a map
From this reading This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.
any of various mints of the genus Thymus
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
not plowed or harrowed or hoed
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was open-air geometry, practical surveying.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
at the time that
From this reading When May came, once every week we left the gloomy schoolroom for the fields.
in or at the place that
From this reading THE MASON-BEES At a school where I once taught, one subject in particular appealed to both master and pupils.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We did our surveying on an untilled plain, covered with flowering thyme and rounded pebbles.
Chapter 3 of Insect Adventures by Jean-Henri Fabre holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 116 sentences of Insect Adventures, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Insect Adventures by Jean-Henri Fabre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Insect Adventures by Jean-Henri Fabre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45812 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45812, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 612 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Insect Adventures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Insect Adventures 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 Insect Adventures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
