Chapter 3 of Let 'Em Breathe Space! is here in full — 525 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Let 'Em Breathe Space! is here in full — 525 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his. The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked. "No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive. "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us." "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
Chapter 3 of Let 'Em Breathe Space! is here in full — 525 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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.
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading “"He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."”
Swiss chemist who synthesized DDT and discovered its use as an insecticide (1899-1965)
From this reading “Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.”
Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms; introduced the use of the decimal point in writing numbers (1550-1617)
From this reading “The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.”
spoil as if by poison
From this reading “"He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."”
the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance
From this reading “"There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.”
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading “"No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive.”
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.”
a person who is physically weak and ineffectual
From this reading “"He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."”
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 rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.”
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's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
Swiss chemist who synthesized DDT and discovered its use as an insecticide (1899-1965)
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms; introduced the use of the decimal point in writing numbers (1550-1617)
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
not any; not one
From this reading "No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
spoil as if by poison
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading "No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
cut with a saw
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "No!" he said, but his tone wasn't positive.
arousing affect
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There was that food poisoning before," Pietro said suddenly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Most of them had already eaten at least half of the food, but I saw Muller wasn't touching his.
a person who is physically weak and ineffectual
From this reading "He's a weakling, but I don't think he's insane--not enough to poison us."
the words that are spoken
From this reading The rest stopped now, as the words sank in, and Napier looked shocked.
Chapter 3 of Let 'Em Breathe Space! by Lester Del Rey holds 525 sentences, grouped into 105 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 525 sentences of Let 'Em Breathe Space!, unabridged, divided into 105 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Let 'Em Breathe Space! by Lester Del Rey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 525 sentences, grouped into 105 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 105 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 105 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 Let 'Em Breathe Space! by Lester Del Rey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31286 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31286, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 131 minutes of reading across 315 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Let 'Em Breathe Space! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Let 'Em Breathe Space! 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 Let 'Em Breathe Space!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
