Chapter 3 of The Alien is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Alien is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Surprised?" said Underwood. He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia. No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming? It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
Chapter 3 of The Alien is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading “It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"”
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading “No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.”
plural of “defense” — (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading “It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.”
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading “No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.”
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “"Surprised?" said Underwood.”
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading “"Surprised?" said Underwood.”
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.
enlarge, develop, or increase by degrees or in stages
In this reading “It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"”
In this reading “He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.”
temporarily
In this reading “He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.”
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 always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
later than; following
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
plural of “defense” — (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
set up or found
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
a particular point in time
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
not any; not one
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Surprised?" said Underwood.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
express in speech
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading "Surprised?" said Underwood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He always found it difficult to speak for a moment after the first sight of Illia.
the upper part of anything
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading "Surprised?" said Underwood.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading No one would guess a beauty like her to be the top surgeon of Medical Center.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It's not fair--" "--not to give you time to build up your defenses?"
Chapter 3 of The Alien by Raymond F. Jones holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The Alien, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Alien by Raymond F. Jones exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 The Alien by Raymond F. Jones on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4135 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50783 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50783, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Alien section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Alien 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 The Alien, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
