Chapter 3 of Botchan (Master Darling) is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Botchan (Master Darling) is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My teaching began at last. When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange. While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor. The students were noisy. Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
Chapter 3 of Botchan (Master Darling) is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
shout out
From this reading “Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!””
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.”
teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class)
From this reading “While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.”
full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds
From this reading “The students were noisy.”
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading “When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.”
plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading “The students were noisy.”
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!””
the profession of a teacher
From this reading “My teaching began at last.”
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 While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My teaching began at last.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading My teaching began at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
a boy or man
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
shout out
From this reading Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
immediately past
From this reading My teaching began at last.
teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class)
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My teaching began at last.
full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds
From this reading The students were noisy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
on one occasion
From this reading Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
a raised horizontal surface
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading The students were noisy.
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
the profession of a teacher
From this reading My teaching began at last.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The students were noisy.
at the time that
From this reading When I entered the class-room and stepped upon the platform for the first time, I felt somewhat strange.
during the time that
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading While lecturing, I wondered if a fellow like me could keep up the profession of public instructor.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Once in a while, they would holler “Teacher!”
Chapter 3 of Botchan (Master Darling) by Soseki Natsume holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of Botchan (Master Darling), unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Botchan (Master Darling) by Soseki Natsume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Botchan (Master Darling) by Soseki Natsume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 252 minutes of reading across 606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Botchan (Master Darling) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Botchan (Master Darling) 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 Botchan (Master Darling), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
