Chapter 3 of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye. "It is wonderful," I declared. "I am amazed. I simply cannot understand it. That island is quite a big place.
Chapter 3 of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “"I am amazed.”
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “"Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.”
black-and-white North American wood warbler having an orange-and-black head and throat
From this reading “"Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.”
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “"It is wonderful," I declared.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.”
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading “That island is quite a big place.”
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading “"Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.”
crush together or collapse
From this reading “"Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.”
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 That island is quite a big place.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am amazed.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading "I am amazed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading That island is quite a big place.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
black-and-white North American wood warbler having an orange-and-black head and throat
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I simply cannot understand it.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "It is wonderful," I declared.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
the organ of sight
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is wonderful," I declared.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading That island is quite a big place.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading That island is quite a big place.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading That island is quite a big place.
and nothing more
From this reading I simply cannot understand it.
crush together or collapse
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That island is quite a big place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I simply cannot understand it.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
at the time that
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading "It is wonderful," I declared.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?" demanded Billy, when at length I lowered the telescope from my eye.
Chapter 3 of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn by Harry Collingwood holds 454 sentences, grouped into 91 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 454 sentences of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn by Harry Collingwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 454 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn by Harry Collingwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2271 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21058 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21058, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 189 minutes of reading across 455 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn 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 Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
