Chapter 3 of Shaming the Speed Limit is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Shaming the Speed Limit is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IT NEVER RAN SMOOTH. “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple. “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.” “But you’re hurt. You struck on your head.”
Chapter 3 of Shaming the Speed Limit is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading ““If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.””
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
cut open
From this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading ““If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.””
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading “IT NEVER RAN SMOOTH.”
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
stop the flow of a liquid
From this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
past form of “trickle” — run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
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 ““If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.””
In this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
In this reading ““You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.”
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 “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But you’re hurt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
the boundary of a surface
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
cut open
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading You struck on your head.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
be the source of pain
From this reading “But you’re hurt.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT NEVER RAN SMOOTH.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading IT NEVER RAN SMOOTH.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You struck on your head.”
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading IT NEVER RAN SMOOTH.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading IT NEVER RAN SMOOTH.
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
stop the flow of a liquid
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading You struck on your head.”
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
past form of “trickle” — run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
hard to endure
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
but in spite of that
From this reading “If I am,” he returned, with a feeble effort to jest, “I don’t know it yet.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re not killed, are you?” she sobbed, trying to stanch the flow of blood that trickled from a gash at the edge of his hair near his temple.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You struck on your head.”
Chapter 3 of Shaming the Speed Limit by Burt L. Standish holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 106 sentences of Shaming the Speed Limit, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Shaming the Speed Limit by Burt L. Standish exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Shaming the Speed Limit by Burt L. Standish on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 777 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65914 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 64 minutes of reading across 156 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shaming the Speed Limit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Shaming the Speed Limit 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 Shaming the Speed Limit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
