Chapter 3 of Mr. Munchausen 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 Mr. Munchausen is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree. It seemed my only chance. I must climb that. I tried, but alas! As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
Chapter 3 of Mr. Munchausen 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.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading “I tried, but alas!”
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading “"'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.”
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “I must climb that.”
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading “As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.”
smeared with oil or grease to reduce friction
From this reading “As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.”
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading “As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.”
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading “As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.”
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “"'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.”
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.
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
In this reading “As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.”
see something for a brief time
In this reading “"'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.”
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 As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading I tried, but alas!
(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 "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I tried, but alas!
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading It seemed my only chance.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading I must climb that.
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
smeared with oil or grease to reduce friction
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed my only chance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must climb that.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It seemed my only chance.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
and nothing more
From this reading It seemed my only chance.
a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed my only chance.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I must climb that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried, but alas!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading As I have told you it was a slippery elm tree, and I might as well have tried to climb a greased pole.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'It's all up with you, Baron,' I said to myself, and then I caught sight of the tree.
Chapter 3 of Mr. Munchausen by John Kendrick Bangs 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 Mr. Munchausen, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mr. Munchausen by John Kendrick Bangs 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 Mr. Munchausen by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 340 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr. Munchausen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Mr. Munchausen 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 Mr. Munchausen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
