Chapter 3 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 422 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 Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering. “We aint got a thing to drink.... Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.” “De suite monsieur....” The old waiter bowed.
Chapter 3 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 422 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 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east
From this reading “Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.””
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading “The old waiter bowed.”
take in liquids
From this reading ““We aint got a thing to drink....”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading ““De suite monsieur....””
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading ““Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering.”
plural of “quart” — a United States liquid unit equal to 32 fluid ounces; four quarts equal one gallon
From this reading “Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.””
a musical composition of several movements only loosely connected
From this reading ““De suite monsieur....””
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “The old waiter bowed.”
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.
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 “We aint got a thing to drink....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We aint got a thing to drink....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading The old waiter bowed.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “De suite monsieur....”
take in liquids
From this reading “We aint got a thing to drink....
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “We aint got a thing to drink....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “De suite monsieur....”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old waiter bowed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
plural of “quart” — a United States liquid unit equal to 32 fluid ounces; four quarts equal one gallon
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
a musical composition of several movements only loosely connected
From this reading “De suite monsieur....”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
a special situation
From this reading “We aint got a thing to drink....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We aint got a thing to drink....
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Bring the Atlantic Ozz-shen and two quarts.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading The old waiter bowed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wazzahell, Marco wazzahell?” he was muttering.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We aint got a thing to drink....
Chapter 3 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos holds 422 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 422 sentences of Manhattan Transfer, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 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 Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Manhattan Transfer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer 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 Manhattan Transfer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
