Chapter 3 of A History of English Literature is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A History of English Literature is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PERIOD III. THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES. ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS. POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS. Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
Chapter 3 of A History of English Literature is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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 “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading “THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.”
a period of 100 years
From this reading “Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.”
English poet remembered as author of the Canterbury Tales (1340-1400)
From this reading “Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.”
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading “POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.”
third-person singular of “constitute” — form or compose
From this reading “Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.”
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.”
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading “Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.”
involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians
From this reading “POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.”
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 ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
how long something has existed
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
a period of 100 years
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
English poet remembered as author of the Canterbury Tales (1340-1400)
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
third-person singular of “constitute” — form or compose
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading PERIOD III.
of great significance or value
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
an amount of time
From this reading PERIOD III.
involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians
From this reading POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Of the century and a half, from 1350 to 1500, which forms our third period, the most important part for literature was the first fifty years, which constitutes the age of Chaucer.
a late time of life
From this reading ABOUT 1350 TO ABOUT 1500 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS.
Chapter 3 of A History of English Literature by Robert Huntington Fletcher holds 263 sentences, grouped into 53 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 263 sentences of A History of English Literature, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A History of English Literature by Robert Huntington Fletcher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 263 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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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About 425 minutes of reading across 1020 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A History of English Literature, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
