Chapter 3 of The Push of a Finger is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Push of a Finger is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die." "You think too much of death, too little of life. What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it." "It will never be worth it. There will never be an end.
Chapter 3 of The Push of a Finger is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
in addition
From this reading “The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."”
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “"You think too much of death, too little of life.”
the state of owing something (especially money)
From this reading “The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."”
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading “What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."”
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading “What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."”
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 The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
in addition
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There will never be an end.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
the state of owing something (especially money)
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "It will never be worth it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
in or at that place or location
From this reading There will never be an end.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
which person or people
From this reading The boy said: "I have a debt also to those who may die."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading What if a thousand more are killed--ten thousand--in the end it will be worth it."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You think too much of death, too little of life.
Chapter 3 of The Push of a Finger by Alfred Bester holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of The Push of a Finger, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Push of a Finger by Alfred Bester exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Push of a Finger by Alfred Bester on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1296 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61551 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61551, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 108 minutes of reading across 260 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Push of a Finger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Push of a Finger 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 Push of a Finger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
