Chapter 3 of The Last Miracle is here in full — 39 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Last Miracle is here in full — 39 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me. I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson. "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows." "What do you mean?" I asked.
Chapter 3 of The Last Miracle is here in full — 39 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading “I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.”
possessive form of “driver” — the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading “THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “"I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “"I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."”
English chemist noted for his studies of molecular structures in plants (1886-1975)
From this reading “I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.”
from appearances alone
From this reading “"I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.”
English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)
From this reading “THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.”
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 “THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.”
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 bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
react verbally
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you mean?"
possessive form of “driver” — the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
and nothing more
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What do you mean?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
no person; not anyone
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
English chemist noted for his studies of molecular structures in plants (1886-1975)
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
from appearances alone
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
term of address for a man
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
express in words
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
in the direction of
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I bent forward, and asked him what, then, had become of Robinson.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)
From this reading THE WREN As I went on towards Swandale the thought suddenly struck me that my driver's back was strange to me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wish I could tell you, sir," was his answer, "but seemingly that's just what nobody knows."
Chapter 3 of The Last Miracle by M. P. (Matthew Phipps) Shiel holds 39 sentences, grouped into 8 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 39 sentences of The Last Miracle, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Last Miracle by M. P. (Matthew Phipps) Shiel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 39 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 Last Miracle by M. P. (Matthew Phipps) Shiel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3054 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41794 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41794, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Miracle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Last Miracle 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 Last Miracle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
