Chapter 3 of The waning of a world is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The waning of a world is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater. By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly. No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view. Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim! Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.
Chapter 3 of The waning of a world is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading ““Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.”
with brightness
From this reading “Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.”
form or compose
From this reading “No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.”
device that heats water or supplies warmth to a room
From this reading ““Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.”
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading “Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!”
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.”
past form of “wail” — emit long loud cries
From this reading ““Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.”
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading “Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.”
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 “No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading ““Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.”
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 Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
with brightness
From this reading Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
form or compose
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
device that heats water or supplies warmth to a room
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
having abundant light or illumination
From this reading Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.
for more time
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
treat with contempt
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
not any; not one
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time the Earth had shrunk greatly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading No longer did it constitute the greater part of their view.
past form of “wail” — emit long loud cries
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading Suddenly a ribbon of fire appeared along its western rim!
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading Steadily it widened, lighting up the _Sphere_ brilliantly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Oy, and me with my overcoat at home!” wailed Taggert, in mock consternation, backing up close to the heater.
Chapter 3 of The waning of a world by W. Elwyn (Waldo Elwyn) Backus holds 406 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 406 sentences of The waning of a world, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The waning of a world by W. Elwyn (Waldo Elwyn) Backus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 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 waning of a world by W. Elwyn (Waldo Elwyn) Backus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3692 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 307 minutes of reading across 739 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The waning of a world section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The waning of a world 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 waning of a world, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
