Chapter 3 of The Sky Is Falling is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Sky Is Falling is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing. "Your character? Isn't anything stable here?" "Of course not. Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
Chapter 3 of The Sky Is Falling is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
-ing form of “differ” — be different
From this reading “Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.”
the state of containing nothing
From this reading “He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.”
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.”
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading “He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.”
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading “He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.”
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading “Isn't anything stable here?"”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.”
a sudden or mysterious disappearance
From this reading “He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.”
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 He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
any thing at all
From this reading Isn't anything stable here?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading "Your character?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course not.
-ing form of “differ” — be different
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
the state of containing nothing
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Isn't anything stable here?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn't anything stable here?"
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
as might be expected
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Of course not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading Isn't anything stable here?"
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
a sudden or mysterious disappearance
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
in or at the place that
From this reading He jerked his eyes off the raw patch of emptiness in the sky, where a few stars seemed to be vanishing.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Naturally, in each House we have a differing of character, as does the world itself.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your character?
Chapter 3 of The Sky Is Falling by Lester Del Rey holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of The Sky Is Falling, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Sky Is Falling by Lester Del Rey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Sky Is Falling by Lester Del Rey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2878 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18768 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18768, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 576 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sky Is Falling section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Sky Is Falling 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 Sky Is Falling, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
