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Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors
Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.
She hastened down.
John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.
"John, dear, I did not think it was so late.
It is time to go to the graveyard.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.
Line 2
She hastened down.
/ʃiː ˈheɪsənd daʊn/
Line 3
John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.
/dʒɑːn stɪl sæt ɑːn ðə ˈdɔːrstep wer ʃiː hæd left hɪm/
Line 4
"John, dear, I did not think it was so late.
/dʒɑːn dɪr aɪ dɪd nɑːt θɪŋk ɪt wɑːz soʊ leɪt/
Line 5
It is time to go to the graveyard.
/ɪt ɪz taɪm tuː ɡoʊ tuː ðə ˈɡreɪvjɑːrd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

doorstep noun US /ˈdɔːrstep/

the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway

From this reading “John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.”

employed adjective US /emˈplɔɪd/

having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary

From this reading “Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.”

graveyard noun US /ˈɡreɪvjɑːrd/

a tract of land used for burials

From this reading “It is time to go to the graveyard.”

hastened verb US /ˈheɪsənd/

past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed

From this reading “She hastened down.”

hours noun US /ˈaʊərz/

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading “Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.”

late adjective US /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading “"John, dear, I did not think it was so late.”

slipped verb US /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading “Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.”

struck adjective US /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading “Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

Several hours adjective + noun

In this reading “Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.”

thus employed adverb + adjective

In this reading “Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.”

on the doorstep preposition + article + noun counted as “on … doorstep”

In this reading “John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.”

All words in this reading · 39

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

doorstepnounUS /ˈdɔːrstep/

the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading She hastened down.

employedadjectiveUS /emˈplɔɪd/

having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading It is time to go to the graveyard.

graveyardnounUS /ˈɡreɪvjɑːrd/

a tract of land used for burials

From this reading It is time to go to the graveyard.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

hastenedverbUS /ˈheɪsənd/

past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed

From this reading She hastened down.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

hoursnounUS /ˈaʊərz/

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It is time to go to the graveyard.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

SeveraladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

slippedverbUS /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "John, dear, I did not think it was so late.

thusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading It is time to go to the graveyard.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It is time to go to the graveyard.

village-clock

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading John still sat on the doorstep where she had left him.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Several hours had slipped by while she was thus employed, and now the village-clock struck five.

Chapter 3 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors by Various holds 419 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.

What does chapter 3 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors contain?

Chapter 3 holds 419 sentences of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors?

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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Common questions about reading Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors?

Yes. All 2911 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53178 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53178, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors take to read?

About 242 minutes of reading across 583 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors section by section

How to work through Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Words and structures a reader meets early in Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stories
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sketches
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Authors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Boston
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.