Chapter 3 of A Tale of Two Tunnels is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Tale of Two Tunnels is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DINNER. Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off. 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people. God bless me! I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
Chapter 3 of A Tale of Two Tunnels is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/66 · 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.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading “I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'”
give a benediction to
From this reading “God bless me!”
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading “'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.”
someone who cuts or beautifies hair
From this reading “Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.”
past form of “march” — march in a procession
From this reading “Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.”
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading “I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'”
having a sharp inclination
From this reading “Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.”
In this reading “Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.”
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 Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
give a benediction to
From this reading God bless me!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading THE DINNER.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading God bless me!
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
someone who cuts or beautifies hair
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
someone who makes jewelry
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
past form of “march” — march in a procession
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading God bless me!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
having a sharp inclination
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DINNER.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
at the time that
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
which person or people
From this reading Captain Jackman walked down the steep street watched by the jeweller and a hairdresser who had stepped from opposite when the captain marched off.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'A few of him would open these cliffs and let in more houses and people.
but in spite of that
From this reading I never thought to sell it, and _yet_ he's got a bargain.'
Chapter 3 of A Tale of Two Tunnels by William Clark Russell holds 330 sentences, grouped into 66 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 330 sentences of A Tale of Two Tunnels, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Tale of Two Tunnels by William Clark Russell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 330 sentences, grouped into 66 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 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 66 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 Tale of Two Tunnels by William Clark Russell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2068 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 172 minutes of reading across 414 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Tale of Two Tunnels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of A Tale of Two Tunnels 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 Tale of Two Tunnels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
