Chapter 3 of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it. Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay. Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on. First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.” “Yes, I have heard that said.”
Chapter 3 of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.””
made less hopeful or enthusiastic
From this reading “Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading “Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.”
take in solid food
From this reading “First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.””
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading ““I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.”
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.”
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading “Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
rid of obstructions
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
made less hopeful or enthusiastic
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
take in solid food
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Yes, I have heard that said.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “Yes, I have heard that said.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
many times at short intervals
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
on one occasion
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Don't you get discouraged, but hang right on.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes, I have heard that said.”
express in words
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
the person who plays that position on a football team
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Yes, I have heard that said.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First, you won't understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn't lay it down to eat.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, I have heard that said.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I judge it ain't often, by the way you say it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you'll find it'll pay.
Chapter 3 of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion by Mark Twain holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 175 sentences of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 865 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3182 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3182, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 72 minutes of reading across 173 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion 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 Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
