Chapter 3 of A Virgin Heart: A Novel is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Virgin Heart: A Novel is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It had already grown hot. They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk. Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology. Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths. "Do they know what they're doing?
Chapter 3 of A Virgin Heart: A Novel is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading “Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.”
past form of “crawl” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading “Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.”
the branch of zoology that studies insects
From this reading “Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.”
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading “Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.”
an old word meaning “to this place”
From this reading “Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.”
in an idle manner
From this reading “Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.”
plural of “path” — a course of conduct
From this reading “Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.”
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading “Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.”
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.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
In this reading “They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.”
In this reading “Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.”
In this reading “They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.”
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 They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading It had already grown hot.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
past form of “crawl” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
traveling across
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do they know what they're doing?
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Do they know what they're doing?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
the branch of zoology that studies insects
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading It had already grown hot.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had already grown hot.
not causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
an old word meaning “to this place”
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading It had already grown hot.
in an idle manner
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had already grown hot.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Do they know what they're doing?
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
plural of “path” — a course of conduct
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Idly, they looked at the busy little creatures, crossing and recrossing one another's paths.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Do they know what they're doing?
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Large harmless ants crawled hither and thither on the bark, but M. Hervart seemed to have lost his interest in entomology.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading They sat down in the shade, on a tree trunk.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Do they know what they're doing?
Chapter 3 of A Virgin Heart: A Novel by Remy de Gourmont holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of A Virgin Heart: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Virgin Heart: A Novel by Remy de Gourmont exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Virgin Heart: A Novel by Remy de Gourmont on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3062 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44384 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44384, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 613 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Virgin Heart: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Virgin Heart: A Novel 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 Virgin Heart: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
