Chapter 3 of The Awkward Age 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 Awkward Age is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Do you mean its being so low?” He had smiled at first but looked grave now. “Do you really want to know?” “Just how you were affected? I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
Chapter 3 of The Awkward Age 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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading ““Just how you were affected?”
make certain of
From this reading “I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.””
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading “I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.””
death of a person
From this reading “He had smiled at first but looked grave now.”
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading ““Do you mean its being so low?””
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading ““Do you mean its being so low?””
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.””
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “He had smiled at first but looked grave now.”
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.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading “Just how you were affected?
make certain of
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
death of a person
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Just how you were affected?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
and nothing more
From this reading “Just how you were affected?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Do you really want to know?”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
a particular point in time
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Do you really want to know?”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He had smiled at first but looked grave now.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I assure you there’s at this moment nothing I desire nearly so much.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Do you really want to know?”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Do you really want to know?”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Just how you were affected?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you mean its being so low?”
Chapter 3 of The Awkward Age by Henry James holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The Awkward Age, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Awkward Age by Henry James exactly as it stands in the 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 Awkward Age by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7433 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7433, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2029 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Awkward Age section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Awkward Age 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 Awkward Age, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
