Chapter 3 of Some Persons Unknown is here in full — 418 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 Some Persons Unknown is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But I am thinking about Ida. You needn't look at the clock, Wolff. You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet. You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast. I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
Chapter 3 of Some Persons Unknown is here in full — 418 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.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.”
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.”
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading “"But I am thinking about Ida.”
the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with
From this reading “I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."”
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading “I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “"But I am thinking about Ida.”
look attentively
From this reading “You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.”
German anatomist (1733-1794)
From this reading “You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.”
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 “You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.”
In this reading “You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.”
In this reading “You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.”
In this reading “You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "But I am thinking about Ida.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "But I am thinking about Ida.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
any thing at all
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I am thinking about Ida.
an occurrence of something
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
one or the other of two
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I am thinking about Ida.
an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank
From this reading "But I am thinking about Ida.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
go away from a place
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
not any; not one
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
the time that has elapsed
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
express in words
From this reading I say that you raised no opposition in the case of either Laura or Hetty."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "But I am thinking about Ida.
precisely as stated
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
look attentively
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
German anatomist (1733-1794)
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
but in spite of that
From this reading You know very well that you never leave the house before ten minutes past, and it isn't five past yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You needn't look at the clock, Wolff.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You may look at your watch if you like, but you will see that my clock is, if anything, fast.
Chapter 3 of Some Persons Unknown by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 418 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 418 sentences of Some Persons Unknown, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Some Persons Unknown by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 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 Some Persons Unknown by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4071 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 815 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Some Persons Unknown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Some Persons Unknown 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 Some Persons Unknown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
