Chapter 3 of From the Ranks is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of From the Ranks is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question. "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more." "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?" "No, sir, not one." "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
Chapter 3 of From the Ranks is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading “"Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.”
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading “"I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “"Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"”
according to the clock
From this reading “"Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."”
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading “"Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"”
by chance
From this reading “"I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."”
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “"I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “"Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.”
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.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
(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 "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
immediately past
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, sir, not one."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, sir, not one."
according to the clock
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
by chance
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Were any horses out during the night,--any officers' horses, I mean?"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading "I thought possibly some officers might have driven or ridden to town."
up to a particular time
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Certainly, sir, and up until one o'clock or more."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Were you here all last night, sergeant?" was Chester's abrupt question.
Chapter 3 of From the Ranks by Charles King holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of From the Ranks, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of From the Ranks by Charles King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 From the Ranks by Charles King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16558 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16558, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 281 minutes of reading across 676 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From the Ranks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of From the Ranks 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 From the Ranks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
