Chapter 3 of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won is here in full — 494 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won is here in full — 494 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said. I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks." "God bless you, my child. You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know." Would Mary keep her word?
Chapter 3 of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won is here in full — 494 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
give a benediction to
From this reading “"God bless you, my child.”
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading “I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."”
causing intoxication
From this reading “I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."”
with full knowledge and deliberation
From this reading “I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."”
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading “You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."”
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."”
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 You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
give a benediction to
From this reading "God bless you, my child.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "God bless you, my child.
dearly loved
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "God bless you, my child.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Would Mary keep her word?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
causing intoxication
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Would Mary keep her word?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
with full knowledge and deliberation
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
take in marriage
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Would Mary keep her word?
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "God bless you, my child.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
make a promise or commitment
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
which person or people
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I promise you that never will I knowingly marry one who loves intoxicating drinks."
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Would Mary keep her word?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Would Mary keep her word?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Dear old friend, thank you for what you have said.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You have taken a load off the old man's heart, and off your mother's too, I know."
Chapter 3 of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won by Theodore P. Wilson holds 494 sentences, grouped into 99 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 494 sentences of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won by Theodore P. Wilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 494 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Nearly Lost but Dearly Won by Theodore P. Wilson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21135 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21135, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 123 minutes of reading across 296 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nearly Lost but Dearly Won section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Nearly Lost but Dearly Won 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 Nearly Lost but Dearly Won, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
