Chapter 3 of The Vanisher is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Vanisher is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table. "You have been chosen to bear our children. This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting. Be practical, perform your function. If you are tractable, you will be given much.
Chapter 3 of The Vanisher is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.”
(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
From this reading “Be practical, perform your function.”
carry out or perform an action
From this reading “Be practical, perform your function.”
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading “Be practical, perform your function.”
to say, state, or perform again
From this reading “This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.”
-ing form of “resist” — elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading “This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.”
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.”
easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
From this reading “If you are tractable, you will be given much.”
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 “This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.”
In this reading “He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.”
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 He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If you are tractable, you will be given much.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Be practical, perform your function.
have
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
From this reading Be practical, perform your function.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading If you are tractable, you will be given much.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you are tractable, you will be given much.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading If you are tractable, you will be given much.
not any; not one
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
carry out or perform an action
From this reading Be practical, perform your function.
by chance
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading Be practical, perform your function.
to say, state, or perform again
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
-ing form of “resist” — elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
From this reading If you are tractable, you will be given much.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked slowly and calmly around the edge of the table.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading This is no particular honor, I know, but I will repeat that you cannot possibly succeed in resisting.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have been chosen to bear our children.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Be practical, perform your function.
Chapter 3 of The Vanisher by Michael Shaara holds 459 sentences, grouped into 92 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 459 sentences of The Vanisher, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Vanisher by Michael Shaara exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 459 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Vanisher by Michael Shaara on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1853 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63696 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63696, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 154 minutes of reading across 371 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vanisher section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Vanisher 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 Vanisher, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
