Chapter 3 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties. "He's done everything he could do," said Elmore. "Shall I speak to Miss Mayhew?" "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife. "I suppose we must.
Chapter 3 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “"Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.”
express a negative opinion of
From this reading “"Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.”
your usual mood
From this reading “"Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “"He's done everything he could do," said Elmore.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “"No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.”
express in speech
From this reading “"Shall I speak to Miss Mayhew?"”
express a supposition
From this reading “"I suppose we must.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “"No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.”
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.
(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 "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
any thing at all
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "He's done everything he could do," said Elmore.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
express a negative opinion of
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
your usual mood
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "He's done everything he could do," said Elmore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "He's done everything he could do," said Elmore.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He's done everything he could do," said Elmore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Shall I speak to Miss Mayhew?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Shall I speak to Miss Mayhew?"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I suppose we must.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Shall I speak to Miss Mayhew?"
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
express in speech
From this reading "Shall I speak to Miss Mayhew?"
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose we must.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
which person or people
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh, I don't think he's done anything so very great," said Mrs. Elmore, with that disposition we all have to disparage those who put us in difficulties.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No, you had better let me," sighed his wife.
Chapter 3 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories by William Dean Howells holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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.
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Yes. All 2746 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20403 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20403, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 228 minutes of reading across 550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
