Chapter 3 of Tales of a Traveller is here in full — 419 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 Tales of a Traveller is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We parted for the night. His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it. I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight. The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling. He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
Chapter 3 of Tales of a Traveller 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
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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.”
inflected form of “busy” — keep busy with
From this reading “His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.”
a wrapped container
From this reading “He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.”
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading “We parted for the night.”
established irrevocably
From this reading “He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.”
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading “The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.”
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 He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
in a state of sleep
From this reading I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.
aroused or activated
From this reading I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.
inflected form of “busy” — keep busy with
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading I fell asleep, but was awakened before daylight.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We parted for the night.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
set down according to a plan
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading We parted for the night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
a wrapped container
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading We parted for the night.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
established irrevocably
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We parted for the night.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His room was not far from mine, and I heard him for some time busied in it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We parted for the night.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He held a sealed packet and a large parcel in his hand, which he laid on the table.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man stood by my bed-side, dressed for travelling.
Chapter 3 of Tales of a Traveller by Washington Irving 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.
Chapter 3 holds 419 sentences of Tales of a Traveller, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Tales of a Traveller by Washington Irving 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.
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 Tales of a Traveller by Washington Irving on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4965 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13514 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13514, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 993 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of a Traveller section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Tales of a Traveller 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 Tales of a Traveller, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
