Chapter 3 of Lectures and biographical sketches is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Lectures and biographical sketches is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart. It passes understanding. There was a time when Christianity existed in one child. But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost? God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
Chapter 3 of Lectures and biographical sketches is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
the right to enter
From this reading “We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.”
a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior
From this reading “There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.”
determine the essential quality of
From this reading “We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.”
an abstract part of something
From this reading “But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?”
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading “There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.”
king of Judea who (according to the New Testament) tried to kill Jesus by ordering the death of all children under age two in Bethlehem (73-4 BC)
From this reading “But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?”
plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
From this reading “It passes understanding.”
third-person singular of “send” — cause to go somewhere
From this reading “God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.”
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 “There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.”
In this reading “But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?”
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 There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
the right to enter
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
a young person of either sex
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
determine the essential quality of
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
an abstract part of something
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
king of Judea who (according to the New Testament) tried to kill Jesus by ordering the death of all children under age two in Bethlehem (73-4 BC)
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It passes understanding.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
From this reading It passes understanding.
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
third-person singular of “send” — cause to go somewhere
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading It passes understanding.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We pretend not to define the way of its access to the private heart.
(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 God sends his message, if not by one, then quite as well by another.
at the time that
From this reading There was a time when Christianity existed in one child.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But if the child had been killed by Herod, would the element have been lost?
Chapter 3 of Lectures and biographical sketches by Ralph Waldo Emerson holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of Lectures and biographical sketches, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Lectures and biographical sketches by Ralph Waldo Emerson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Lectures and biographical sketches by Ralph Waldo Emerson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4132 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75942 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75942, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lectures and biographical sketches section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Lectures and biographical sketches 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 Lectures and biographical sketches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
