Chapter 3 of Seeing Things at Night is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Seeing Things at Night is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
(_Exit Dr. Cony_.) COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger. It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS. COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies? COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
Chapter 3 of Seeing Things at Night is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading “It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS.”
A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.
From this reading “COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.”
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading “COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.”
an opening that permits escape or release
in a helpless manner
From this reading “COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.”
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading “COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.”
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate
From this reading “COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?”
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.
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 COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes
From this reading (_Exit Dr. Cony_.)
common small rabbit of North America having greyish or brownish fur and a tail with a white underside; a host for Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis (Lyme disease ticks)
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
dearly loved
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (_Exit Dr. Cony_.)
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
divisible by two
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading (_Exit Dr. Cony_.)
in a helpless manner
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
and nothing more
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
held up in the air
From this reading It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS.
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
a light shade of red
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
with low volume
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading COTTONTAIL (_sinking helplessly in his chair_)--My dear, I was just sitting quietly, reading _The Evening Post_-- MRS.
(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It lifted off the ceiling-- MRS.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
in the company of; together with
From this reading COTTONTAIL--My dear, it was a pink monster, with an enormous dagger.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading COTTONTAIL--Peter, can't you even be temperate in your lies?
Chapter 3 of Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of Seeing Things at Night, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35793 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35793, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 723 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seeing Things at Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Seeing Things at Night 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 Seeing Things at Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
