Chapter 3 of The Ball and the Cross is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Ball and the Cross is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes?” said Turnbull. “To smash your window,” said MacIan. “I have woken up the world.” “Very well, then,” said Turnbull, stolidly. “Let us look at a few final facts.
Chapter 3 of The Ball and the Cross is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading ““Let us look at a few final facts.”
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading ““Let us look at a few final facts.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading ““Let us look at a few final facts.”
hit hard
From this reading ““To smash your window,” said MacIan.”
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading ““To smash your window,” said MacIan.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading ““I have woken up the world.””
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading ““I have woken up the world.””
an affirmative
From this reading ““Yes?” said Turnbull.”
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 “Let us look at a few final facts.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have woken up the world.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have woken up the world.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “To smash your window,” said MacIan.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes?” said Turnbull.
hit hard
From this reading “To smash your window,” said MacIan.
in a stolid manner
From this reading “Very well, then,” said Turnbull, stolidly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have woken up the world.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Very well, then,” said Turnbull, stolidly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To smash your window,” said MacIan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes?” said Turnbull.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “I have woken up the world.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Let us look at a few final facts.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very well, then,” said Turnbull, stolidly.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Very well, then,” said Turnbull, stolidly.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading “To smash your window,” said MacIan.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “I have woken up the world.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “I have woken up the world.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes?” said Turnbull.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “To smash your window,” said MacIan.
Chapter 3 of The Ball and the Cross by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The Ball and the Cross, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Ball and the Cross by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Ball and the Cross by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4329 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5265 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5265, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 360 minutes of reading across 866 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ball and the Cross section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Ball and the Cross 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 Ball and the Cross, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
