Chapter 3 of Legends and Tales is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Legends and Tales is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And thy secret?” said the holy father. “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man. “Come, my time is short. Shrive me quickly.” The Padre hesitated.
Chapter 3 of Legends and Tales is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading ““Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading ““Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “The Padre hesitated.”
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading ““And thy secret?” said the holy father.”
a chaplain in one of the military services
From this reading “The Padre hesitated.”
with speed
From this reading “Shrive me quickly.””
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading ““And thy secret?” said the holy father.”
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading ““Come, my time is short.”
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.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come, my time is short.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading The Padre hesitated.
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Come, my time is short.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Shrive me quickly.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Come, my time is short.
a chaplain in one of the military services
From this reading The Padre hesitated.
with speed
From this reading Shrive me quickly.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Come, my time is short.
grant remission of a sin to
From this reading Shrive me quickly.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “And thy secret?” said the holy father.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Come, my time is short.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “Shall be told afterwards,” answered the dying man.
Chapter 3 of Legends and Tales by Bret Harte holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 155 sentences of Legends and Tales, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Legends and Tales by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Legends and Tales by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 784 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2599 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2599, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 65 minutes of reading across 157 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Legends and Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Legends and Tales 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 Legends and Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
