Chapter 3 of One Basket is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of One Basket is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him. He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy. Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache. He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily. He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
Chapter 3 of One Basket is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
feel physical pain
From this reading “Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.”
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading “Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.”
be able to spare or give up
From this reading “He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.”
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading “He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.”
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading “Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.”
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading “He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.”
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading “He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.”
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 For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
feel physical pain
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.
and nothing more
From this reading He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sometimes his heart seemed to ache with an actual physical ache.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading He wanted to buy things for Emily--useless, pretty, expensive things that he couldn't afford.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He realized that he wanted to do things for Emily.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For a long time he didn't know what was the matter with him.
but in spite of that
From this reading He only knew he was miserable, and yet happy.
Chapter 3 of One Basket by Edna Ferber holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 234 sentences of One Basket, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of One Basket by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 One Basket by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3863 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #489 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #489, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 773 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through One Basket section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of One Basket 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 One Basket, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
