Chapter 3 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He did not answer the rebuke. He was not much of a talker. Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more. He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned. He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
Chapter 3 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.”
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading “He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.”
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.”
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading “He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.”
censure severely or angrily
From this reading “He did not answer the rebuke.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “He was not much of a talker.”
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.”
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 He was not much of a talker.
in addition
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
react verbally
From this reading He did not answer the rebuke.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not answer the rebuke.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not answer the rebuke.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Also, he ceased his hungry glancing for more.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He was not much of a talker.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not answer the rebuke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was not much of a talker.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
censure severely or angrily
From this reading He did not answer the rebuke.
move upward
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
an educational institution
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading He was not much of a talker.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He did not answer the rebuke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
not complaining
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not much of a talker.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading He finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and started to rise.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was uncomplaining, with a patience that was as terrible as the school in which it had been learned.
Chapter 3 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 218 sentences of When God Laughs, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3846 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2545 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2545, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When God Laughs, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of When God Laughs, and Other Stories 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
