Chapter 3 of The Thread of Flame is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Thread of Flame is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Did you expect her?" I ventured to say. The sepulchral voice spoke again. "Which is the blind one?" Drinkwater moved forward.
Chapter 3 of The Thread of Flame is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “"Which is the blind one?"”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"Did you expect her?"”
at or to or toward the front
From this reading “Drinkwater moved forward.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “Drinkwater moved forward.”
express in words
From this reading “I ventured to say.”
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “The sepulchral voice spoke again.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “I ventured to say.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “The sepulchral voice spoke again.”
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 sepulchral voice spoke again.”
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.
anew
From this reading The sepulchral voice spoke again.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading "Which is the blind one?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you expect her?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Drinkwater moved forward.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "Did you expect her?"
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Drinkwater moved forward.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Did you expect her?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I ventured to say.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Which is the blind one?"
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Drinkwater moved forward.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Which is the blind one?"
express in words
From this reading I ventured to say.
of or relating to a sepulchre
From this reading The sepulchral voice spoke again.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading The sepulchral voice spoke again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sepulchral voice spoke again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I ventured to say.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading I ventured to say.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The sepulchral voice spoke again.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Which is the blind one?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you expect her?"
Chapter 3 of The Thread of Flame by Basil King holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Thread of Flame, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Thread of Flame by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Thread of Flame by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5316 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45898 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45898, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1064 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Thread of Flame section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Thread of Flame 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 Thread of Flame, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
