Chapter 3 of Time Crime is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Time Crime is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged. "Huh-uh! Huh-uh! I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago. Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
Chapter 3 of Time Crime is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “"Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.”
freedom to act or judge on one's own
From this reading “Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."”
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading “I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.”
prevent from speaking out
From this reading “I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “"Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.”
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading “"Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.”
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.”
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 I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
how long something has existed
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
in the past
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
any thing at all
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
freedom to act or judge on one's own
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
prevent from speaking out
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Huh-uh!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Anything I get, I put on the air or not at my own discretion."
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, let me explain, off the record--" the official begged.
at the time that
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
a late time of life
From this reading I had that off-the-record gag worked on me when I was about Larv's age, fifty years ago.
Chapter 3 of Time Crime by H. Beam Piper holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Time Crime, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Time Crime by H. Beam Piper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Time Crime by H. Beam Piper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2445 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18151 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18151, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 203 minutes of reading across 489 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Time Crime section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Time Crime 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 Time Crime, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
