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The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is here in full — 313 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Context Illustration Reading 1/62 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?
A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.
Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.
AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.
I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is here in full — 313 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/62 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?
/aɪ kæn ʃoʊ ə brɔːd bæk ənd ə ˈdʒɑːli diːp tʃest bʌt huː ˈɑːrɡjuːz naʊ ɑːn əˈpɪrəns/
Line 2
A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.
Line 3
Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.
Line 4
AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.
Line 5
I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

Learner Dictionary

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.

argues verb US /ˈɑːrɡjuːz/

third-person singular of “argue” — present reasons and arguments

From this reading “I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?”

clearance noun US /ˈklɪrəns/

the distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them

From this reading “A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.”

feller noun US /ˈfelər/

a person who fells trees

From this reading “AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.”

jolly adjective US /ˈdʒɑːli/

full of or showing high-spirited merriment

From this reading “I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?”

sable noun US /ˈseɪbəl/

an artist's brush made of sable hairs

From this reading “Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.”

strife noun US /straɪf/

lack of agreement or harmony

From this reading “AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.”

stumble verb US /ˈstʌmbəl/

walk unsteadily

From this reading “A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.”

wearing noun US /ˈwerɪŋ/

(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)

From this reading “Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.”

All words in this reading · 79

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

ain't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

arguesverbUS /ˈɑːrɡjuːz/

third-person singular of “argue” — present reasons and arguments

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

blowverbUS /bloʊ/

exhale hard

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

brightadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

chestnounUS /tʃest/

the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

clearancenounUS /ˈklɪrəns/

the distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

deepadjectiveUS /diːp/

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

dognounUS /dɔːɡ/

a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

EASY-GOIN

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

fastadverbUS /fæst/

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

FELLERnounUS /ˈfelər/

a person who fells trees

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

glassnounUS /ɡlæs/

a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

goin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

heigho

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

horsenounUS /hɔːrs/

solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

hurryin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

it's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

jollyadjectiveUS /ˈdʒɑːli/

full of or showing high-spirited merriment

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

ll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

onounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

pell-melladjective

with undue hurry and confusion

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

sablenounUS /ˈseɪbəl/

an artist's brush made of sable hairs

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

sendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

strifenounUS /straɪf/

lack of agreement or harmony

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

stumbleverbUS /ˈstʌmbəl/

walk unsteadily

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

Ther

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

thro

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

thrustverbUS /θrʌst/

push forcefully

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

to-day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A blow or a thrust or a stumble at best May send me to-day to my clearance.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading AN EASY-GOIN' FELLER Ther' ain't no use in all this strife, An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.

ve

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

wearingnounUS /ˈwerɪŋ/

(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)

From this reading Then it's heigho for the things I love, My mother 'll be soon wearing sable, But give me my horse and my dog and my glass, And a bright eye over the table.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading I can show a broad back and a jolly deep chest, But who argues now on appearance?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I don't believe in goin' too fast To see what kind o' road you 've passed.

Chapter 3 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar holds 313 sentences, grouped into 63 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.

What does chapter 3 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar contain?

Chapter 3 holds 313 sentences of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 313 sentences, grouped into 63 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar?

Work through the 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 63 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #18338, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 316 minutes of reading across 760 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scarcely
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Trouble
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reader
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.