Chapter 3 of Poems, 1799 is here in full — 375 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Poems, 1799 is here in full — 375 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Stranger_. Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here. _Old Man_. Aye-great indeed! And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
Chapter 3 of Poems, 1799 is here in full — 375 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
plural of “alteration” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.”
plural of “improvement” — a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading “Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.”
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.”
past form of “outlast” — live longer than
From this reading “Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.”
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!”
move upward
From this reading “And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!”
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading “And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
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.
(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 Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
plural of “alteration” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aye-great indeed!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
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 And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
plural of “improvement” — a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Aye-great indeed!
a polite name for any woman
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading _Old Man_.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading _Old Man_.
past form of “outlast” — live longer than
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
move upward
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading _Stranger_.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And if my poor old Lady could rise up— God rest her soul!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why then you have outlasted All his improvements, for you see they’re making Great alterations here.
Chapter 3 of Poems, 1799 by Robert Southey holds 375 sentences, grouped into 75 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 375 sentences of Poems, 1799, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Poems, 1799 by Robert Southey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 375 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Poems, 1799 by Robert Southey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8639 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8639, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poems, 1799 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Poems, 1799 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 Poems, 1799, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
