Chapter 3 of Spawn of the Desert is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Spawn of the Desert is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips. The trey of spades! Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss. It was more money than he dared estimate. He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
Chapter 3 of Spawn of the Desert is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.”
strips of potato fried in deep fat
From this reading “Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.”
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.”
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
From this reading “Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.”
plural of “spade” — a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading “The trey of spades!”
inflected form of “spin” — revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading “Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “The trey of spades!”
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.
seek information from
In this reading “He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.”
In this reading “It was more money than he dared estimate.”
on everybody's mind
In this reading “Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.”
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 looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
strips of potato fried in deep fat
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading It was more money than he dared estimate.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
something that is lost
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading It was more money than he dared estimate.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was more money than he dared estimate.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
uttered with a trill
From this reading He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
plural of “spade” — a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading The trey of spades!
inflected form of “spin” — revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was more money than he dared estimate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sleed spun his card in the air and it fell face-up on the pile of chips.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The trey of spades!
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Staring down at the card, Sleed half-slumped forward in his chair, as he tried to estimate his loss.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was more money than he dared estimate.
which person or people
From this reading He looked up at Duke, who was rolling a cigarette.
Chapter 3 of Spawn of the Desert by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Spawn of the Desert, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Spawn of the Desert by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Spawn of the Desert by W. C. (Wilbur C.) Tuttle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1298 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64284 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64284, 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 Spawn of the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Spawn of the Desert 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 Spawn of the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
