Chapter 3 of Prejudices, fourth series is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Prejudices, fourth series is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”; Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman? Has he ever? The first question sets an insoluble problem. How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
Chapter 3 of Prejudices, fourth series is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading “Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?”
place limits on (extent or amount or access)
From this reading “Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?”
(of a substance) incapable of being dissolved
From this reading “The first question sets an insoluble problem.”
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
From this reading “How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “The first question sets an insoluble problem.”
plural of “set” — a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
From this reading “The first question sets an insoluble problem.”
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading “Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The first question sets an insoluble problem.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
type genus of the Caviidae: guinea pigs
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
place limits on (extent or amount or access)
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
at any time
From this reading Has he ever?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first question sets an insoluble problem.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Has he ever?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Has he ever?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
(of a substance) incapable of being dissolved
From this reading The first question sets an insoluble problem.
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading The first question sets an insoluble problem.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The first question sets an insoluble problem.
express in words
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
plural of “set” — a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
From this reading The first question sets an insoluble problem.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Cavia Cobaya_ I find the following in Theodore Dreiser’s “Hey-Rub-a-Dub-Dub”;
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading How are we, in such intimate matters, to say what is the average and what is not the average?
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Does the average strong, successful man confine himself to one woman?
Chapter 3 of Prejudices, fourth series by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 461 sentences of Prejudices, fourth series, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Prejudices, fourth series by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Prejudices, fourth series by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2633 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67978 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67978, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 527 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prejudices, fourth series section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Prejudices, fourth series 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 Prejudices, fourth series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
