Chapter 3 of A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, sir, I like it a lot. I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case." Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed. "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on. They give in first crack.
Chapter 3 of A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading “Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.”
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading “They give in first crack.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."”
someone who serves (or waits to be called to serve) on a jury
From this reading “I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."”
plural of “juror” — someone who serves (or waits to be called to serve) on a jury
From this reading “"There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.”
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “"There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading “Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.”
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 "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
past form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
an occurrence of something
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading They give in first crack.
a receptacle for spit (usually in a public place)
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading They give in first crack.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading They give in first crack.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They give in first crack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
someone who serves (or waits to be called to serve) on a jury
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
plural of “juror” — someone who serves (or waits to be called to serve) on a jury
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Mr. Martin aimed at the new cuspidor--and missed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
express in words
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They give in first crack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's some jurors as loses nearly every case they're on.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading I can say that out of the fourteen times I been a juror I never lost a case."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, sir, I like it a lot.
Chapter 3 of A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago by Ben Hecht holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago by Ben Hecht exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 586 minutes of reading across 1407 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
