Chapter 3 of Those barren leaves is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Those barren leaves is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars. “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace. “And how they twinkle! How they palpitate! As though they were alive.
Chapter 3 of Those barren leaves is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “As though they were alive.”
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.”
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading ““How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.”
cause to throb or beat rapidly
From this reading “How they palpitate!”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.”
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading ““How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.”
a group of soldiers
From this reading ““How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.”
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading ““And how they twinkle!”
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 ““How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.”
In this reading ““How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
possessing life
From this reading As though they were alive.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And how they twinkle!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
divisible by two
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
cause to throb or beat rapidly
From this reading How they palpitate!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Aldwinkle had even bought the stars.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading As though they were alive.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
a group of soldiers
From this reading “How bright they are!” she exclaimed, as she stepped out at the head of her little troop of guests on to the terrace.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “And how they twinkle!
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As though they were alive.
Chapter 3 of Those barren leaves by Aldous Huxley holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 200 sentences of Those barren leaves, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Those barren leaves by Aldous Huxley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Those barren leaves by Aldous Huxley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74437 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74437, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1585 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Those barren leaves section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Those barren leaves 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 Those barren leaves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
