Chapter 3 of The Kempton-Wace Letters is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Kempton-Wace Letters is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And now we come to the point. In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways. Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations. It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm. It could go no farther.
Chapter 3 of The Kempton-Wace Letters is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “culminate” — end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
From this reading “It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.”
act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining
From this reading “In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.”
-ing form of “divide” — separate into parts or portions
From this reading “In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.”
anything that contributes causally to a result
From this reading “Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.”
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading “Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.”
plural of “limitation” — a principle that limits the extent of something
From this reading “Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.”
the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
From this reading “It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.”
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 In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now we come to the point.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And now we come to the point.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could go no farther.
past form of “culminate” — end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
From this reading It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.
act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
-ing form of “divide” — separate into parts or portions
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
anything that contributes causally to a result
From this reading Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading It could go no farther.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It could go no farther.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
plural of “limitation” — a principle that limits the extent of something
From this reading Instinct, as a factor of development, had its limitations.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
From this reading It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.
not any; not one
From this reading It could go no farther.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now we come to the point.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading And now we come to the point.
unusual or striking
From this reading It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It culminated in that remarkable mechanism, the bee-swarm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And now we come to the point.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And now we come to the point.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading In the development of life from low to high, there came a dividing of the ways.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading And now we come to the point.
Chapter 3 of The Kempton-Wace Letters by Jack London holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Kempton-Wace Letters, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Kempton-Wace Letters by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Kempton-Wace Letters by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2869 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31422 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31422, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 574 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Kempton-Wace Letters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Kempton-Wace Letters 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 Kempton-Wace Letters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
