Chapter 3 of Sonnets and Canzonets is here in full — 174 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 Sonnets and Canzonets is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SONNETS. “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.” WORDSWORTH. “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”. HOWEL.
Chapter 3 of Sonnets and Canzonets is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading ““_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.”
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
From this reading ““In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.””
plural of “pause” — a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading ““_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.”
concerning each of two or more persons or things; especially given or done in return
From this reading ““_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.”
plural of “sonnet” — a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
From this reading “SONNETS.”
plural of “steal” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading ““_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.”
the act of making something wet
a romantic English poet whose work was inspired by the Lake District where he spent most of his life (1770-1850)
From this reading “WORDSWORTH.”
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.
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.
plural of “affection” — a positive feeling of liking
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
confined by bonds
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
the state of being friends (or friendly)
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOWEL.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
immediately past
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
plural of “mood” — a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
plural of “office” — place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
plural of “pause” — a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
concerning each of two or more persons or things; especially given or done in return
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
lacking in magnitude or quantity
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
plural of “sonnet” — a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
From this reading SONNETS.
plural of “steal” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
plural of “trial” — the act of testing something
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
the act of making something wet
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “_I like that friendship which, by soft gentle pauses, steals upon the affections and grows mellow with time, by reciprocal offices and trials of love; that friendship is like to last long, and never shrink in the wetting_”.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “In sundry moods, ’t was pastime to be bound Within the sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.”
a romantic English poet whose work was inspired by the Lake District where he spent most of his life (1770-1850)
From this reading WORDSWORTH.
Chapter 3 of Sonnets and Canzonets by Amos Bronson Alcott holds 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 174 sentences of Sonnets and Canzonets, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Sonnets and Canzonets by Amos Bronson Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 174 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.
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Yes. All 458 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48067 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48067, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 38 minutes of reading across 92 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sonnets and Canzonets section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Sonnets and Canzonets 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 Sonnets and Canzonets, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
