Chapter 3 of The Vision of Elijah Berl 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 Vision of Elijah Berl is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?" Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself. He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders. "Why should I?" he asked bluntly. "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
Chapter 3 of The Vision of Elijah Berl 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.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading “"Why should I?" he asked bluntly.”
possessive form of “californian” — a native or resident of California
From this reading “"That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.”
a Hebrew prophet in the Old Testament who opposed the worship of idols; he was persecuted for rebuking Ahab and Jezebel (king and queen of Israel); he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (circa 9th century BC)
From this reading “Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.”
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading “He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “"That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.”
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “"That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.”
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
From this reading “"That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.”
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 “"Why should I?" he asked bluntly.”
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's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why should I?" he asked bluntly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading "Why should I?" he asked bluntly.
possessive form of “californian” — a native or resident of California
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
a Hebrew prophet in the Old Testament who opposed the worship of idols; he was persecuted for rebuking Ahab and Jezebel (king and queen of Israel); he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (circa 9th century BC)
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why should I?" he asked bluntly.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Why should I?" he asked bluntly.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading He shifted the onus of the surprise to Elijah's shoulders.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Winston was surprised, more at the manner of Elijah's question than at the question itself.
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
From this reading "That's a Yankee trick, not a Californian's," retorted Elijah.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why haven't you introduced me to Helen Lonsdale before?"
Chapter 3 of The Vision of Elijah Berl by Frank Lewis Nason 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 Vision of Elijah Berl, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Vision of Elijah Berl by Frank Lewis Nason 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 Vision of Elijah Berl by Frank Lewis Nason on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32107 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32107, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 408 minutes of reading across 980 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vision of Elijah Berl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Vision of Elijah Berl 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 Vision of Elijah Berl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
