Chapter 3 of The Blower of Bubbles is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Blower of Bubbles is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!" The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock. "Ay, ay, cap'n!" "Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs." "The cabin to starboard?
Chapter 3 of The Blower of Bubbles is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.”
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading “"The cabin to starboard?”
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “"This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"”
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “"Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."”
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading “The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.”
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading “"This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"”
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading “"The cabin to starboard?”
on a floor above
From this reading “"Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."”
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.
pluck or pull at with the fingers
In this reading “The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.”
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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay, ay, cap'n!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading "The cabin to starboard?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay, ay, cap'n!"
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
a lock of hair growing (or falling) over the forehead
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading "Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."
a bedroom that is kept for the use of guests
From this reading "Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading "The cabin to starboard?
carry out
From this reading "Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "This is an event," he said, "to be entered in the log.--Sindbad!"
on a floor above
From this reading "Take this gentleman's things to the guestroom upstairs."
which person or people
From this reading The ex-seaman who had acted as my guide pulled at his forelock.
Chapter 3 of The Blower of Bubbles by Beverley Baxter holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The Blower of Bubbles, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Blower of Bubbles by Beverley Baxter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Blower of Bubbles by Beverley Baxter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3678 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40501 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40501, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 306 minutes of reading across 736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blower of Bubbles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Blower of Bubbles 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 Blower of Bubbles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
