Chapter 3 of Null-ABC is here in full — 465 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Null-ABC is here in full — 465 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly. Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's. "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously. "Now that you explain it, we see how it was." * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
Chapter 3 of Null-ABC is here in full — 465 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
plural of “borough” — one of the administrative divisions of a large city
From this reading “* * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.”
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading “"Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.”
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"Now that you explain it, we see how it was."”
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.”
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading “Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.”
possessive form of “west” — the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading “Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “* * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
plural of “borough” — one of the administrative divisions of a large city
From this reading * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.
in a questionable and dubious manner
From this reading "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
in a curious and questioning manner
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
a rare heavy polyvalent metallic element that resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys; is obtained as a by-product in refining molybdenum
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
possessive form of “west” — the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading * * * * * It was worse than that in some of the other boroughs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yeh, sure, Mr. Cardon," Yingling said dubiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yingling looked at West, and West looked back at him questioningly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Evidently the _suavitor in modo_ was Yingling's province, and the _fortior in re_ was West's.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now that you explain it, we see how it was."
Chapter 3 of Null-ABC by H. Beam Piper holds 465 sentences, grouped into 93 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 465 sentences of Null-ABC, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Null-ABC by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 465 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Null-ABC by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2350 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18346, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 195 minutes of reading across 470 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Null-ABC section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Null-ABC 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 Null-ABC, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
