Chapter 3 of Letters to Helen is here in full — 419 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 Letters to Helen is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Good heavens alive! there's George! He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all. If only there had been time to hail him! Now for a sleep till it's time for tea. _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
Chapter 3 of Letters to Helen is here in full — 419 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.
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
From this reading “_September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.”
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.”
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “_September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.”
praise vociferously
From this reading “If only there had been time to hail him!”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “Good heavens alive! there's George!”
the month following August and preceding October
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
possessing life
From this reading Good heavens alive! there's George!
(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 He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now for a sleep till it's time for tea.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Good heavens alive! there's George!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good heavens alive! there's George!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
praise vociferously
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Good heavens alive! there's George!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now for a sleep till it's time for tea.
and nothing more
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
used to form the superlative
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now for a sleep till it's time for tea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
and nothing more
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading He has just flashed by in a car, red cap and all.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Now for a sleep till it's time for tea.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Now for a sleep till it's time for tea.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
in or at that place or location
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Good heavens alive! there's George!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _September 5._ This is a part of the line I don't know at all, a most exciting area.
up to a particular time
From this reading Now for a sleep till it's time for tea.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If only there had been time to hail him!
Chapter 3 of Letters to Helen by Keith Henderson holds 419 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 419 sentences of Letters to Helen, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Letters to Helen by Keith Henderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 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 Letters to Helen by Keith Henderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2061 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16626, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 171 minutes of reading across 413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Letters to Helen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Letters to Helen 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 Letters to Helen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
