Chapter 3 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SUDDEN BLOW. Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward. He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field. At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house. His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
Chapter 3 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
exhale hard
From this reading “A SUDDEN BLOW.”
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading “Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.”
toward home
From this reading “Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.”
garments (clothes or linens) that are to be (or have been) ironed
From this reading “His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.”
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading “He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.”
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.”
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading “Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.”
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 “At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.”
In this reading “He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.”
In this reading “At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.”
travel across or pass over
In this reading “He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.”
In this reading “At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.”
to come or go into
In this reading “At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.”
In this reading “At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.”
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 A SUDDEN BLOW.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
later than; following
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
exhale hard
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
toward home
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
garments (clothes or linens) that are to be (or have been) ironed
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading His mother was ironing, and Katy sat near by, reading a book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading A SUDDEN BLOW.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not obliged to travel by the road, as there was a short cut across the field.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Harry Raymond, after receiving the congratulations of his school-mates, took his way homeward.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At the end of ten minutes he threw open the door, and went into the house.
Chapter 3 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of Sink or Swim, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 919 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sink or Swim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Sink or Swim 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 Sink or Swim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
