Chapter 3 of Short Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Short Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Still on business?" Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat. It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him. Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors. Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
Chapter 3 of Short Stories is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
in an affable manner
From this reading “Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.”
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading “Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.”
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading “Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.”
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.”
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading “Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.”
capable of winning favor
From this reading “Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.”
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading “Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.”
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.
In this reading “Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.”
In this reading “Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.”
In this reading “"Still on business?"”
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 Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
in an affable manner
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "Still on business?"
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
capable of winning favor
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
expressed without speech
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Still on business?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Semyon Ivanovitch made haste to bow himself out.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
not in physical motion
From this reading "Still on business?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It seemed to him as though they were forgetting him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. Pralinsky observed affably, in a slightly ingratiating tone, playing with his hat.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Stepan Nikiforovitch raised his eyebrows and remained mute, as a sign that he would not detain his visitors.
Chapter 3 of Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Short Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5443 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40745 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40745, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 453 minutes of reading across 1089 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Short Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Short Stories 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 Short Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
