Chapter 3 of The Best Man is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Best Man is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly. He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard. Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair. At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington. "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
Chapter 3 of The Best Man is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “"First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading “"First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."”
someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading “He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.”
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair.”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.”
with low volume
From this reading “"Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.”
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading “He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.”
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 “"First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."”
take a seat
In this reading “"Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.”
In this reading “"First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."”
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 knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Cavenaugh flung himself into his chair.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
a particular point in time
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
used to form the superlative
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
with low volume
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
be seated
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
a male human offspring
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
express in words
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At that moment he did not know which he hated the most, his father or Carrington.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He knew that his son was a fighter, and that to win he would have to strike quick and hard.
produce a literary work
From this reading "First, you will write out that check for fifty thousand."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sit down, my son, and I will tell you," answered the old man quietly.
Chapter 3 of The Best Man by Harold MacGrath holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of The Best Man, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Best Man by Harold MacGrath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Best Man by Harold MacGrath on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2549 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45528 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45528, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 212 minutes of reading across 510 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Best Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Best Man 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 Best Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
