Chapter 3 of Ann Boyd: A Novel is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Ann Boyd: A Novel is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar. "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired. "It almost floored him." Masters smiled. "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
Chapter 3 of Ann Boyd: A Novel is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.”
provided with a floor
From this reading “"It almost floored him."”
in an impulsive or impetuous way; without taking cautions
From this reading “Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.”
set afire or burning
From this reading “Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.”
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading “Masters smiled.”
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading “"He laid his hand on my shoulder.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Masters smiled.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "It almost floored him."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
provided with a floor
From this reading "It almost floored him."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It almost floored him."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
in an impulsive or impetuous way; without taking cautions
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It almost floored him."
set down according to a plan
From this reading "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
set afire or burning
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading Masters smiled.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
express in words
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading "He laid his hand on my shoulder.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Masters smiled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Langdon laughed impulsively as he lighted the drummer’s cigar.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what did the old man say to that?" he inquired.
Chapter 3 of Ann Boyd: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Ann Boyd: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Ann Boyd: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Ann Boyd: A Novel by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5975 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37551 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37551, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 497 minutes of reading across 1195 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ann Boyd: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Ann Boyd: 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 Ann Boyd: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
