John Brent

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of John Brent is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Theodore Winthrop • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

DON FULANO.

Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

Not because he loved his wife and she him, as I fancy that noble wives and husbands love in the times of trial now; but simply because he was Hippodamos, one that could master the horse.

As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter III Reading 1/34

John Brent

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of John Brent is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

DON FULANO.

Line 2

Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

/ˈhektər ʌv trɔɪ ˈhoʊmərz ˈhektər wɑːz maɪ fɜːrst ˈhɪroʊ ɪn ˈlɪtərətʃər/

Line 3

Not because he loved his wife and she him, as I fancy that noble wives and husbands love in the times of trial now; but simply because he was Hippodamos, one that could master the horse.

Line 4

As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

/æz suːn æz aɪ nuː ˈhektər aɪ bɪˈɡæn tuː ˈemjəleɪt hɪm/

Line 5

My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

/maɪ ˈbɔɪɪʃ ɪkˈsperəmənts wɜːr ɑːn ˈdɑːŋkiz ənd feɪld/

Learner Dictionary

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.

boyish adjective US /ˈbɔɪɪʃ/

befitting or characteristic of a young boy

From this reading “My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.”

donkeys noun US /ˈdɑːŋkiz/

plural of “donkey” — the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874

From this reading “My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.”

emulate verb US /ˈemjəleɪt/

strive to equal or match, especially by imitating

From this reading “As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.”

experiments noun US /ɪkˈsperəmənts/

plural of “experiment” — the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation

From this reading “My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.”

Hector noun US /ˈhektər/

(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War

From this reading “Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.”

Homer's noun US /ˈhoʊmərz/

possessive form of “homer” — a base hit on which the batter scores a run

husbands noun US /ˈhʌzbəndz/

plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading “Not because he loved his wife and she him, as I fancy that noble wives and husbands love in the times of trial now; but simply because he was Hippodamos, one that could master the horse.”

Troy noun US /trɔɪ/

a system of weights used for precious metals and gemstones; based on a 12-ounce pound and an ounce of 480 grains

From this reading “Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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 literature preposition + noun

In this reading “Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Not because he loved his wife and she him, as I fancy that noble wives and husbands love in the times of trial now; but simply because he was Hippodamos, one that could master the horse.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

boyishadjectiveUS /ˈbɔɪɪʃ/

befitting or characteristic of a young boy

From this reading My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

DONnounUS /dɑːn/

a Spanish gentleman or nobleman

From this reading DON FULANO.

donkeysnounUS /ˈdɑːŋkiz/

plural of “donkey” — the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874

From this reading My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

emulateverbUS /ˈemjəleɪt/

strive to equal or match, especially by imitating

From this reading As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

experimentsnounUS /ɪkˈsperəmənts/

plural of “experiment” — the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation

From this reading My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

failedverbUS /feɪld/

past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/

something many people believe that is false

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

FULANO

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading DON FULANO.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

HectornounUS /ˈhektər/

(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

heronounUS /ˈhɪroʊ/

a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

Hippodamos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

Homer'snounUS /ˈhoʊmərz/

possessive form of “homer” — a base hit on which the batter scores a run

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

horsenounUS /hɔːrs/

solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

husbandsnounUS /ˈhʌzbəndz/

plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

literaturenounUS /ˈlɪtərətʃər/

creative writing of recognized artistic value

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

masternounUS /ˈmæstər/

an artist of consummate skill

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/

impressive in appearance

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

simplyadverbUS /ˈsɪmpli/

and nothing more

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading As soon as I knew Hector, I began to emulate him.

trialnounUS /ˈtraɪəl/

the act of testing something

TroynounUS /trɔɪ/

a system of weights used for precious metals and gemstones; based on a 12-ounce pound and an ounce of 480 grains

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Hector of Troy, Homer’s Hector, was my first hero in literature.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading My boyish experiments were on donkeys, and failed.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

wivesnounUS /waɪvz/

plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

Chapter 3 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop holds 173 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.

What does chapter 3 of John Brent contain?

Chapter 3 holds 173 sentences of John Brent, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of John Brent?

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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading John Brent

Common questions about reading John Brent by Theodore Winthrop on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of John Brent?

Yes. All 5312 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73738 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of John Brent is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73738, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does John Brent take to read?

About 442 minutes of reading across 1063 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read John Brent section by section

How to work through John Brent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in John Brent

Words and structures a reader meets early in John Brent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Write: A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Brent; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First: A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Brent; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter III

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Questions about reading John Brent

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