Chapter 3 of The Alchemist is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Alchemist is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FACE. Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful. SUB. Why, as you please; my venture follows yours. FACE.
Chapter 3 of The Alchemist is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.”
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading “Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.”
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading “Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.”
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading “Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.”
be a substitute
From this reading “SUB.”
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading “Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.”
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading FACE.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
be a substitute
From this reading SUB.
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Faith, I have confidence in his good nature: You hear, he says he will not be ingrateful.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading Why, as you please; my venture follows yours.
Chapter 3 of The Alchemist by Ben Jonson holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The Alchemist, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Alchemist by Ben Jonson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 The Alchemist by Ben Jonson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5919 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4081, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1184 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Alchemist section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Alchemist 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 The Alchemist, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
