Chapter 3 of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease. My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.” And so they visited proud Mab. The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red. The snails were queer and dumb and drab.
Chapter 3 of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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 rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading “The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.”
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading “The snails were queer and dumb and drab.”
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “The snails were queer and dumb and drab.”
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading “My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.””
plural of “fir” — nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading “The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.”
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.”
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading ““I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.”
plural of “snail” — freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell
From this reading “The snails were queer and dumb and drab.”
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 “My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading The snails were queer and dumb and drab.
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading The snails were queer and dumb and drab.
move gently or carefully
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
opinion or judgment
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
plural of “fir” — nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And so they visited proud Mab.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading And so they visited proud Mab.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The snails were queer and dumb and drab.
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
plural of “snail” — freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell
From this reading The snails were queer and dumb and drab.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so they visited proud Mab.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And so they visited proud Mab.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading And so they visited proud Mab.
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The firs were laughing overhead, The chattering roses burned deep-red.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I think the queen will recognize Our atmosphere of wealth and ease.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading My steel-grey shell is sure to please, And she will fear your fiery eyes.”
Chapter 3 of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language by Vachel Lindsay holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 379 sentences of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language by Vachel Lindsay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language by Vachel Lindsay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1132 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69969 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69969, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 94 minutes of reading across 227 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language 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 golden whales of California, and other rhymes in the American language, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
