Chapter 3 of Checkmate is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Checkmate is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CATASTROPHE. The play has commenced. Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye. He is intensely eager and delighted. He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
Chapter 3 of Checkmate is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “A CATASTROPHE.”
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading “He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.”
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading “He is intensely eager and delighted.”
plural of “join” — the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
From this reading “He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.”
with modesty; in a modest manner
From this reading “He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.”
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.”
third-person singular of “understand” — know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.”
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.
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 A CATASTROPHE.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
a quality that outshines the usual
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading A CATASTROPHE.
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The play has commenced.
greatly pleased
From this reading He is intensely eager and delighted.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading He is intensely eager and delighted.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
the organ of sight
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The play has commenced.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is intensely eager and delighted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading He is intensely eager and delighted.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
plural of “join” — the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
with modesty; in a modest manner
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
participate in games or sport
From this reading The play has commenced.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The play has commenced.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He joins modestly in the clapping that now and then follows a stroke of extraordinary brilliancy.
third-person singular of “understand” — know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
which person or people
From this reading Longcluse, who likes and understands the game, sitting beside Richard Arden, is all eye.
Chapter 3 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Checkmate, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9388 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38460 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38460, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Checkmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Checkmate 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 Checkmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
