Chapter 3 of Mark Twain's Speeches is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Mark Twain's Speeches is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian. Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan. Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today. I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor. They skinned him!
Chapter 3 of Mark Twain's Speeches 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
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.
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading “My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.”
plural of “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading “Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.”
plural of “flow” — the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading “Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.”
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading “I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.”
possessive form of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading “Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading “I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.”
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading “Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.”
having skin of a specified kind
From this reading “Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.”
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.
possessing life
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
plural of “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
let fall to the ground
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
plural of “flow” — the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
possessive form of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
having skin of a specified kind
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
be standing; be upright
From this reading I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They skinned him!
the present time or age
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
plural of “vein” — a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
From this reading Not one drop of my blood flows in that Indian's veins today.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My first American ancestor, gentlemen, was an Indian—an early Indian.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I stand here, lone and forlorn, without an ancestor.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your ancestors skinned him alive, and I am an orphan.
Chapter 3 of Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain 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.
Chapter 3 holds 173 sentences of Mark Twain's Speeches, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain 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.
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.
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 Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4769 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3188 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3188, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 397 minutes of reading across 954 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark Twain's Speeches section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Mark Twain's Speeches 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 Mark Twain's Speeches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
