Chapter 3 of Strictly Business is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Strictly Business is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley. The General tore himself away with an effort. “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call. But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties! For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
Chapter 3 of Strictly Business is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
plural of “beauty” — the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading “But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading ““Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “The General tore himself away with an effort.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading ““Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.”
Irish writer (born in 1932)
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading ““The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading ““Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.”
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading “The General tore himself away with an effort.”
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 “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
plural of “beauty” — the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
showing by example
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
Irish writer (born in 1932)
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call.
carry out
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The General tore himself away with an effort.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For exemplification, take you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But, señor, the señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties!
Chapter 3 of Strictly Business by O. Henry holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 199 sentences of Strictly Business, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Strictly Business by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Strictly Business by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2141 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2141, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 403 minutes of reading across 969 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strictly Business section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Strictly Business 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 Strictly Business, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
