Chapter 3 of Father Sergius is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Father Sergius is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘Father Sergius! Father Sergius! Or how does one call you?’ ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice. ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
Chapter 3 of Father Sergius is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Or how does one call you?’”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.”
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.”
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.”
a state of social isolation
From this reading “‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.”
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 ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Or how does one call you?’
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Or how does one call you?’
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading ‘Father Sergius!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Or how does one call you?’
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Or how does one call you?’
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or how does one call you?’
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Father Sergius!
a state of social isolation
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading ‘What do you want?’ replied a quiet voice.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Or how does one call you?’
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Please forgive me for disturbing your solitude, but really I could not help it.
Chapter 3 of Father Sergius by Leo, graf Tolstoy holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 231 sentences of Father Sergius, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Father Sergius by Leo, graf Tolstoy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Father Sergius by Leo, graf Tolstoy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1172 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #985, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 97 minutes of reading across 235 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Father Sergius section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Father Sergius 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 Father Sergius, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
