Chapter 3 of Questionable Shapes 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 Questionable Shapes is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And what did you--I beg your pardon!” “Oh, not at all. I said I would stand to my offer.” She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?” “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
Chapter 3 of Questionable Shapes 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.
from appearances alone
From this reading “She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?””
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading ““And what did you--I beg your pardon!””
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading ““Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.””
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “I said I would stand to my offer.””
accept an excuse for
From this reading ““And what did you--I beg your pardon!””
a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading “She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?””
a person who buys
From this reading ““Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.””
characterized by or showing the suppression of impulses or emotions
From this reading “She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?””
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 “Oh, not at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
from appearances alone
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Oh, not at all.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I said I would stand to my offer.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Oh, not at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading I said I would stand to my offer.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, not at all.
accept an excuse for
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
in the near future
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
a person who buys
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
characterized by or showing the suppression of impulses or emotions
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said I would stand to my offer.”
express in words
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She repressed, apparently, some form of protest, and presently asked, “And what shall I say?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
be standing; be upright
From this reading I said I would stand to my offer.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said I would stand to my offer.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
which person or people
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Oh, if you like, that you have learned who the purchaser of St. Johnswort is, and that you know he will not give way.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I said I would stand to my offer.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And what did you--I beg your pardon!”
Chapter 3 of Questionable Shapes by William Dean Howells 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 Questionable Shapes, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Questionable Shapes by William Dean Howells 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 Questionable Shapes by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2014 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 403 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Questionable Shapes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Questionable Shapes 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 Questionable Shapes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
