Chapter 3 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What if I refuse?" Ritchie shrugged. "Why should you refuse? It's all fun and games, isn't it? Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
Chapter 3 of This Crowded Earth is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 specified day of the month
From this reading “Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “It's all fun and games, isn't it?”
plural of “game” — a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “It's all fun and games, isn't it?”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.”
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “"What if I refuse?"”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Ritchie shrugged.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
the specified day of the month
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
plural of “game” — a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
the act of departing
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What if I refuse?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "What if I refuse?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's all fun and games, isn't it?
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
show unwillingness towards
From this reading "What if I refuse?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ritchie shrugged.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Why should you refuse?
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Ritchie shrugged.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
precisely as stated
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What if I refuse?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why should you refuse?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Up to now you haven't asked any questions about what was going on, and it would look very strange if you started at this late date.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why should you refuse?
Chapter 3 of This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 435 sentences of This Crowded Earth, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3470 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25776 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25776, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 289 minutes of reading across 694 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through This Crowded Earth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of This Crowded Earth 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 This Crowded Earth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
