Chapter 3 of Nurse Elisia is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Nurse Elisia is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you. I can't talk; you can." "Nonsense!" "I know. I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
Chapter 3 of Nurse Elisia is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
given to or characterized by argument
From this reading “"All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.”
cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"Nonsense!"”
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading “"All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.”
having intellectual depth
From this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
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.
In this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
In this reading “I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."”
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 I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
(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 "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
given to or characterized by argument
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can't talk; you can."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't talk; you can."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
a boy or man
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can't talk; you can."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Nonsense!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
and nothing more
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I can't talk; you can."
express in words
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
having intellectual depth
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
precisely as stated
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
(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 "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "All very well for an argumentative, scientific fellow like you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'm only a quiet, thoughtful sailor, and I tell you frankly, old fellow, I felt so miserable one day about your sister that I thought the best way out of it all would be to go and drown myself."
Chapter 3 of Nurse Elisia by George Manville Fenn holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of Nurse Elisia, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Nurse Elisia by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Nurse Elisia by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5666 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40675 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40675, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nurse Elisia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Nurse Elisia 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 Nurse Elisia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
