Chapter 3 of Northern Diamonds is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Northern Diamonds is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread. "Can this really be it?" Maurice muttered. The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them. They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
Chapter 3 of Northern Diamonds is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading “The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.”
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading “There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.”
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading “There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.”
temporary military shelter
From this reading “There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Maurice muttered.”
the environmental condition
From this reading “The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.”
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 “They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.”
In this reading “There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.”
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 There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Can this really be it?"
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can this really be it?"
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
with hesitation; in a hesitant manner
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
temporary military shelter
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Can this really be it?"
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maurice muttered.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading Maurice muttered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Can this really be it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
the environmental condition
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Can this really be it?"
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading They ventured forward hesitatingly, reconnoitered, and approached the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The hut and its surroundings were exactly as the Indian had described them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was so grim an air of desolation about the hut that the boys stopped short with a sense of dread.
Chapter 3 of Northern Diamonds by Frank Lillie Pollock holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 175 sentences of Northern Diamonds, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Northern Diamonds by Frank Lillie Pollock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Northern Diamonds by Frank Lillie Pollock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3407 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Northern Diamonds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Northern Diamonds 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 Northern Diamonds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
