Chapter 3 of On Being Negro in America is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of On Being Negro in America is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What did you send for me for? I can’t do anything for you,” I said. “Somebody’s made a fool of you. Let them look out for you.” “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
Chapter 3 of On Being Negro in America is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
any thing at all
From this reading “I can’t do anything for you,” I said.”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading ““Somebody’s made a fool of you.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading ““You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.”
cause to go somewhere
From this reading ““What did you send for me for?”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading ““You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading ““You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.”
possessive form of “somebody” — a human being
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading ““You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.”
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.
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “Let them look out for you.””
order, request, or command to come
In this reading ““What did you send for me for?”
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 “Somebody’s made a fool of you.
(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 “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
any thing at all
From this reading I can’t do anything for you,” I said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can’t do anything for you,” I said.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “What did you send for me for?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I can’t do anything for you,” I said.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “Somebody’s made a fool of you.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “What did you send for me for?
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can’t do anything for you,” I said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let them look out for you.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Let them look out for you.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “Somebody’s made a fool of you.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What did you send for me for?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Somebody’s made a fool of you.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Let them look out for you.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I can’t do anything for you,” I said.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “What did you send for me for?
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
possessive form of “somebody” — a human being
From this reading “Somebody’s made a fool of you.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Let them look out for you.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What did you send for me for?
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “You got it all wrong,” he said, shaking his head slowly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What did you send for me for?
Chapter 3 of On Being Negro in America by J. Saunders (Jay Saunders) Redding holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of On Being Negro in America, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of On Being Negro in America by J. Saunders (Jay Saunders) Redding exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 On Being Negro in America by J. Saunders (Jay Saunders) Redding on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61818 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61818, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 322 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Being Negro in America section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of On Being Negro in America 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 On Being Negro in America, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
