Chapter 3 of Christmas at Thompson Hall is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Christmas at Thompson Hall is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE. BUT her husband was not sleeping. He was not even in bed, as she had left him. She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
Chapter 3 of Christmas at Thompson Hall is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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 “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.”
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading “She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.”
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading “She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.”
the state of being asleep
From this reading “BUT her husband was not sleeping.”
a momentary flash of light
From this reading “She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.”
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.
In this reading “She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.”
In this reading “He was not even in bed, as she had left him.”
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 She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading BUT her husband was not sleeping.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.
divisible by two
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
start firing a weapon
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
set up or found
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading BUT her husband was not sleeping.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading BUT her husband was not sleeping.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading BUT her husband was not sleeping.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
on one occasion
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
continued in your keeping or use or memory
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was not even in bed, as she had left him.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
the state of being asleep
From this reading BUT her husband was not sleeping.
a momentary flash of light
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
not in physical motion
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BROWN ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BUT her husband was not sleeping.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She found him sitting there before the fireplace, on which one half-burned log still retained a spark of what had once pretended to be a fire.
Chapter 3 of Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 175 sentences of Christmas at Thompson Hall, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 864 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58558 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58558, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 72 minutes of reading across 173 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Christmas at Thompson Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Christmas at Thompson Hall 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 Christmas at Thompson Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
