Chapter 3 of If: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of If: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway. JOHN BEAL No, of course not. You're laughing at me, ARCHIE. But for the moment I took you seriously. Of course, she won't come.
Chapter 3 of If: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “JOHN BEAL No, of course not.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “JOHN BEAL No, of course not.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “You're laughing at me, ARCHIE.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.”
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
From this reading “ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “But for the moment I took you seriously.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You're laughing at me, ARCHIE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But for the moment I took you seriously.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Of course, she won't come.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading JOHN BEAL No, of course not.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But for the moment I took you seriously.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading JOHN BEAL No, of course not.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading You're laughing at me, ARCHIE.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You're laughing at me, ARCHIE.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
a particular point in time
From this reading But for the moment I took you seriously.
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
not any; not one
From this reading JOHN BEAL No, of course not.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading JOHN BEAL No, of course not.
in a serious manner
From this reading But for the moment I took you seriously.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Of course, she won't come.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But for the moment I took you seriously.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading But for the moment I took you seriously.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course, she won't come.
but in spite of that
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're laughing at me, ARCHIE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARCHIE BEAL Well, if it did you've never met her, so you needn't go into mourning for an elderly lady that you don't know; not yet, anyway.
Chapter 3 of If: A Play in Four Acts by Lord Dunsany holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 215 sentences of If: A Play in Four Acts, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of If: A Play in Four Acts by Lord Dunsany exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 If: A Play in Four Acts by Lord Dunsany on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1044 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1311 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1311, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 87 minutes of reading across 209 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through If: A Play in Four Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of If: A Play in Four Acts 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 If: A Play in Four Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
