Chapter 3 of Free, and other stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Free, and other stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Hi, you!” he shouted to the others. “Here’s the place.” Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded. He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened. There was no answer.
Chapter 3 of Free, and other stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading “Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.”
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.”
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading “Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.”
a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
From this reading “Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading ““Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.”
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading “He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.”
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 “He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
react verbally
From this reading There was no answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s the place.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
and nothing more
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Here’s the place.”
a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no answer.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no answer.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Just then another drew near to the portal which Ermi had barricaded.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He looked at it closely, walked about several times, sounded with his antennæ and then listened.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Hi, you!” he shouted to the others.
Chapter 3 of Free, and other stories by Theodore Dreiser holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Free, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Free, and other stories by Theodore Dreiser exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Free, and other stories by Theodore Dreiser on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6241 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68542 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68542, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Free, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Free, and other stories 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 Free, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
