Chapter 3 of Scream at midnight is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Scream at midnight is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight. Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright. At last he closed the door. He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well. He was beginning to imagine things.
Chapter 3 of Scream at midnight is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
the act of causing something to happen
From this reading “Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.”
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.”
beyond normal limits
From this reading “Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.”
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading “He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.”
typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae
From this reading “Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.”
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.”
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading “He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.”
past form of “swoop” — move down on as if in an attack
From this reading “Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.”
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.
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.”
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 stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
anew
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last he closed the door.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading He was beginning to imagine things.
the act of causing something to happen
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading At last he closed the door.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At last he closed the door.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading He was beginning to imagine things.
beyond normal limits
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
immediately past
From this reading At last he closed the door.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
the light of the Moon
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
on one occasion
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
past form of “swoop” — move down on as if in an attack
From this reading Once a moth swooped into the light, causing him an inordinate fright.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He was beginning to imagine things.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was beginning to imagine things.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading He stood a long time, pondering, listening, peering into the misty veil of moonlight.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was beginning to imagine things.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He assured himself again that his nerves were on edge; he did not feel too well.
Chapter 3 of Scream at midnight by Joseph Payne Brennan holds 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 456 sentences of Scream at midnight, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Scream at midnight by Joseph Payne Brennan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Scream at midnight by Joseph Payne Brennan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scream at midnight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Scream at midnight 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 Scream at midnight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
