Chapter 3 of Natural History is here in full — 425 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 Natural History is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What sort of an ant is it?" "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect. I think that I had better tell you all about it at once." "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants." "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
Chapter 3 of Natural History is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading “"What sort of an ant is it?"”
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading “"Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “"It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.”
small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading “"It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “"Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “"Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."”
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading “"Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."”
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading “"True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."”
whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood
In this reading “"It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.”
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 "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
(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 I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
on one occasion
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
express in words
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "True, boys; and I like to keep my promises.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Pray do, Uncle Philip; you know you promised to tell us about ants."
precisely as stated
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What sort of an ant is it?"
a Caucasian
From this reading "It is called the white ant; and as there is a great deal that is very curious about this insect.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I think that I had better tell you all about it at once."
Chapter 3 of Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks holds 425 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 425 sentences of Natural History, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 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 Natural History by Francis L. (Francis Lister) Hawks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1695 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44377 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44377, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Natural History section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Natural History 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 Natural History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
