Chapter 3 of Snowball is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Snowball is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That surprises me," said Arch. "It's simple enough. Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself. A lot have been doing it, too. No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
Chapter 3 of Snowball is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading “"That surprises me," said Arch.”
have an existence, be extant
From this reading “No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."”
a man skilled in various odd jobs and other small tasks
From this reading “Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “A lot have been doing it, too.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.”
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading “No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."”
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “"It's simple enough.”
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “"That surprises me," said Arch.”
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 “"It's simple enough.”
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 A lot have been doing it, too.
(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 No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading "That surprises me," said Arch.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A lot have been doing it, too.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading A lot have been doing it, too.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "It's simple enough.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
have an existence, be extant
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
a man skilled in various odd jobs and other small tasks
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A lot have been doing it, too.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A lot have been doing it, too.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's simple enough.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading A lot have been doing it, too.
engage in
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "That surprises me," said Arch.
not any; not one
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That surprises me," said Arch.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading "It's simple enough.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "That surprises me," said Arch.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That surprises me," said Arch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Everything is so obvious, really--any handyman can make the same things for himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No secrets exist to be given away, that's all."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading A lot have been doing it, too.
Chapter 3 of Snowball by Poul Anderson holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Snowball, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Snowball by Poul Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Snowball by Poul Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59314 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59314, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 108 minutes of reading across 260 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Snowball section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Snowball 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 Snowball, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
