Chapter 3 of The Battle of Life: A Love Story is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Battle of Life: A Love Story is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He waved his hand to her, and was gone. "Don't go to bed. Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly. "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past. Oh, be true to me!"
Chapter 3 of The Battle of Life: A Love Story is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “"Don't go to bed.”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “"I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.”
the time that has elapsed
From this reading “"I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.”
the act of searching for something
From this reading “"I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.”
express in speech
From this reading “"I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.”
past form of “wave” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “He waved his hand to her, and was gone.”
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.
In this reading “Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.”
In this reading “"I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Oh, be true to me!"
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Don't go to bed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't go to bed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Don't go to bed.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, be true to me!"
the time that has elapsed
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
the act of searching for something
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
express in speech
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Oh, be true to me!"
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Wait here for me!" said Marion, hurriedly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
past form of “wave” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading He waved his hand to her, and was gone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I have been seeking to speak to you for an hour past.
Chapter 3 of The Battle of Life: A Love Story by Charles Dickens holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of The Battle of Life: A Love Story, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Battle of Life: A Love Story by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Battle of Life: A Love Story by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1748 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40723 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40723, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 145 minutes of reading across 350 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Battle of Life: A Love Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Battle of Life: A Love Story 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 Battle of Life: A Love Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
