Chapter 3 of Martyr is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Martyr is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man. The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while. But it isn't true. He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong." Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
Chapter 3 of Martyr is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
third-person singular of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.”
the cognitive process that leads to convictions
From this reading “The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.”
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “"But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “"But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.”
provoking horror
From this reading “The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.”
suffering from paranoia
From this reading “"But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.”
In this reading “The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.”
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 "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
third-person singular of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
the cognitive process that leads to convictions
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
lacking funds
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
provoking horror
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it isn't true.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
and nothing more
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
suffering from paranoia
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Dan broke off, staring across at Carl.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man.
a special situation
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading But it isn't true.
during the time that
From this reading The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading He's wrong--good lord, he's _got_ to be wrong."
Chapter 3 of Martyr by Alan Edward Nourse holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of Martyr, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Martyr by Alan Edward Nourse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Martyr by Alan Edward Nourse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1782 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31236 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31236, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 148 minutes of reading across 357 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Martyr section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Martyr 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 Martyr, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
