Chapter 3 of The Book of Sports is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Book of Sports is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GAMES FOR COLD WEATHER. One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE." To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together. To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground. These are called the BOUNDS.
Chapter 3 of The Book of Sports is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading “One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."”
the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
From this reading “These are called the BOUNDS.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.”
plural of “game” — a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “GAMES FOR COLD WEATHER.”
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading “To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.”
an area where many people go for recreation
From this reading “To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.”
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."”
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.”
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 To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
From this reading These are called the BOUNDS.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading GAMES FOR COLD WEATHER.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
being one more than seven
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading GAMES FOR COLD WEATHER.
plural of “game” — a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading GAMES FOR COLD WEATHER.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
participate in games or sport
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
an area where many people go for recreation
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
in or at that place or location
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading One of the best of these is called "PRISONERS' BASE."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading To play this, there must be a number of boys, not less than eight or ten, and as many more as can be got together.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading To commence it, two semicircles are drawn against a wall or hedge at the opposite sides of the playground.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading GAMES FOR COLD WEATHER.
Chapter 3 of The Book of Sports by William Martin holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 157 sentences of The Book of Sports, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Book of Sports by William Martin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Book of Sports by William Martin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25068 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25068, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 107 minutes of reading across 259 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Book of Sports section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Book of Sports 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 Book of Sports, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
