Chapter 1 of Skylark Three is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Skylark Three is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk. DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together. "Get this, Brookings, and get it straight. I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight. My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
Chapter 1 of Skylark Three is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.”
plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.”
being deepest within the self
From this reading “In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.”
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading “In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.”
-ing form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading “I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.”
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading “In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.”
On the present night.
From this reading “I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.”
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.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
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 DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Get this, Brookings, and get it straight.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
being deepest within the self
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Get this, Brookings, and get it straight.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
according to the clock
From this reading I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
-ing form of “shove” — come into rough contact with while moving
From this reading I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
successive (without a break)
From this reading "Get this, Brookings, and get it straight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared at each other across the massive desk.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Get this, Brookings, and get it straight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
On the present night.
From this reading I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading I'm shoving off at twelve o'clock tonight.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading DuQuesne's voice was cold, his black brows were drawn together.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton, absolutely.
Chapter 1 of Skylark Three by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 1 holds 89 sentences of Skylark Three, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Skylark Three by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 1 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 Skylark Three by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4734 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21051, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 947 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Skylark Three section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Skylark Three 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 Skylark Three, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
