Chapter 3 of Oranges and lemons is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Oranges and lemons is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction. Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood. She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention. But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted. “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
Chapter 3 of Oranges and lemons is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.”
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading ““_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.”
draw someone's attention away from something
From this reading “She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.”
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading “But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.”
marked by or given to doubt
From this reading ““_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.”
a Hebrew minor prophet of the late 6th century BC
From this reading ““Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.”
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.
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 Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
draw someone's attention away from something
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.
marked by or given to doubt
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
engage in
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
To recall to mind.
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading But Aunt Elsie neither smiled nor allowed her attention to be distracted.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
express in words
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before Aunt Elsie, as a prisoner before the judge, she stood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “_Did_ I?” asked Shan’t, doubting, but open to conviction.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She made one or two manœuvres, the first to make Aunt Elsie smile; the next to distract her attention.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
a Hebrew minor prophet of the late 6th century BC
From this reading “Tell me what you remember about Zacharias,” she said.
Chapter 3 of Oranges and lemons by Mary C. E. Wemyss holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 433 sentences of Oranges and lemons, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Oranges and lemons by Mary C. E. Wemyss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Oranges and lemons by Mary C. E. Wemyss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4370 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72741 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72741, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 364 minutes of reading across 874 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oranges and lemons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Oranges and lemons 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 Oranges and lemons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
