Chapter 3 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing. * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald. 'So it is,' said our guest. 'Lordy, what a go! This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
Chapter 3 of Oswald Bastable and Others is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “* * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.”
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading “* * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “* * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “'So it is,' said our guest.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.”
United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963)
From this reading “* * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.”
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 'Lordy, what a go!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
(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 Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
eat an early morning meal
From this reading * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
the act of acquiring something
From this reading * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'Lordy, what a go!
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading 'So it is,' said our guest.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Lordy, what a go!
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963)
From this reading * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading 'So it is,' said our guest.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading * * * * * 'Breakfast is getting cold,' said Oswald.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading 'So it is,' said our guest.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'Lordy, what a go!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Then slowly but surely he saw it all, and I thought he would never have done laughing.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading This'll be something to talk about between friends for many a year.'
Chapter 3 of Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of Oswald Bastable and Others, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Oswald Bastable and Others by E. (Edith) Nesbit on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 373 minutes of reading across 897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oswald Bastable and Others section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Oswald Bastable and Others 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 Oswald Bastable and Others, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
