Chapter 3 of The Conscript is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Conscript is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But I am lame!" I cried in my distress. "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound. I'll answer for it." "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
Chapter 3 of The Conscript is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “"But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."”
psychological suffering
From this reading “I cried in my distress.”
feel grief
From this reading “"Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.”
someone who doesn't understand what is going on
From this reading “"But I am lame!"”
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading “"Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.”
the head of a city government
From this reading “"But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “"But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."”
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading “"But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."”
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 “"Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.”
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.
(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 "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "But I am lame!"
react verbally
From this reading I'll answer for it."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I am lame!"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I cried in my distress.
psychological suffering
From this reading I cried in my distress.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'll answer for it."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
feel grief
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I am lame!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll answer for it."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I cried in my distress.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I'll answer for it."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
someone who doesn't understand what is going on
From this reading "But I am lame!"
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
the head of a city government
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I cried in my distress.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But that," said Monsieur the Mayor, "does not prevent his being lame from birth; all Phalsbourg knows that."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Bah! don't grieve at that," he answered; "your leg is sound.
Chapter 3 of The Conscript by Erckmann-Chatrian holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The Conscript, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Conscript by Erckmann-Chatrian exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Conscript by Erckmann-Chatrian on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3239 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31288 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31288, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 269 minutes of reading across 648 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Conscript section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Conscript 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 Conscript, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
