Chapter 3 of A Mere Accident is here in full — 353 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Mere Accident is here in full — 353 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia. What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!" He rang the bell. "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood. "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
Chapter 3 of A Mere Accident is here in full — 353 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 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.
the early stage of growth or development
From this reading “"How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.”
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “"How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.”
having the shape or form of a circle
From this reading “"Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.”
an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading “What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"”
a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level
From this reading “"Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.”
plural of “pilaster” — a rectangular column that usually projects about a third of its width from the wall to which it is attached
From this reading “"Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “He rang the bell.”
unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age
From this reading “"How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.”
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.
anew
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
(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 "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
the early stage of growth or development
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading He rang the bell.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
having the shape or form of a circle
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rang the bell.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
provoking horror
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
conformity or harmony
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
apprehended with certainty
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
plural of “pilaster” — a rectangular column that usually projects about a third of its width from the wall to which it is attached
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading He rang the bell.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Very glad, indeed, we all are to see you home again, sir!"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
which person or people
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading "Urns on corner walls, pilasters, circular windows, flowerage and loggia.
in the company of; together with
From this reading What horrible taste, and quite out of keeping with the landscape!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How do you do, Master John!" cried the tottering old butler who had known him since babyhood.
Chapter 3 of A Mere Accident by George Moore holds 353 sentences, grouped into 71 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 353 sentences of A Mere Accident, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Mere Accident by George Moore exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 353 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 A Mere Accident by George Moore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2398 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11733 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11733, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 480 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Mere Accident section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Mere Accident 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 A Mere Accident, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
