Chapter 3 of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply: "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep." A VOICE. In the deep? SEMI-CHORUS.
Chapter 3 of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “"The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."”
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading “The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “"The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."”
(of fabrics and paper) grown dark in color over time
From this reading “"The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."”
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading “"The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:”
in a sleepy manner
From this reading “The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “"The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."”
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.
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 A VOICE.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
(of fabrics and paper) grown dark in color over time
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEMI-CHORUS.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
in a sleepy manner
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading The people thus inquired for, being the chorus of Hours, sleepily reply:
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "The voice of the spirits of air and of earth Has drawn back the figured curtain of sleep Which covered our being and darkened our birth In the deep."
Chapter 3 of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development by Sidney Lanier holds 374 sentences, grouped into 75 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 374 sentences of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development by Sidney Lanier exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 374 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 English Novel and the Principle of Its Development by Sidney Lanier on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2705 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39200 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39200, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 225 minutes of reading across 541 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The English Novel and the Principle of Its Development 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 English Novel and the Principle of Its Development, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
