Chapter 3 of The Dueling Machine is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Dueling Machine is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hector sagged into the couch. “Just as well. I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.” “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently. “You haven’t aged.
Chapter 3 of The Dueling Machine is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.””
a youthful male person
From this reading ““No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Hector sagged into the couch.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading ““No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.”
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading “Hector sagged into the couch.”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.””
inflected form of “sag” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “Hector sagged into the couch.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading “I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.””
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 “I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.””
In this reading “I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.””
In this reading “I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.””
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.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Just as well.
a youthful male person
From this reading “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Hector sagged into the couch.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You haven’t aged.
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading Hector sagged into the couch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Hector sagged into the couch.
and nothing more
From this reading “Just as well.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
inflected form of “sag” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading Hector sagged into the couch.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No, my boy,” Leoh said gently.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hector sagged into the couch.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
(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 “Just as well.
a late time of life
From this reading I think I’ve aged seven years in the past seven days.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You haven’t aged.
Chapter 3 of The Dueling Machine by Ben Bova holds 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 455 sentences of The Dueling Machine, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Dueling Machine by Ben Bova exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Dueling Machine by Ben Bova on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1860 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30796 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30796, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 155 minutes of reading across 372 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dueling Machine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Dueling Machine 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 Dueling Machine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
