Chapter 3 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer. "You tell me you made your escape." "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering. I should like to save you all that." "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
Chapter 3 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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 total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading “"Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “"You tell me you made your escape."”
having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude
From this reading “"Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.”
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading “"Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.”
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading “"Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.”
to say, state, or perform again
From this reading “"I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."”
except for; apart from
From this reading “I should like to save you all that."”
a state of acute pain
From this reading “"Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
(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 I should like to save you all that."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading "You tell me you made your escape."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I should like to save you all that."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "You tell me you made your escape."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You tell me you made your escape."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
and nothing more
From this reading "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
to say, state, or perform again
From this reading "I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
except for; apart from
From this reading I should like to save you all that."
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should like to save you all that."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
a state of acute pain
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
express in words
From this reading "You tell me you made your escape."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I should like to save you all that."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
precisely as stated
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call keen suffering.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You tell me you made your escape."
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
Chapter 3 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty by Henry James holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 239 sentences of The Diary of a Man of Fifty, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Diary of a Man of Fifty by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Diary of a Man of Fifty by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 949 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2426 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2426, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 79 minutes of reading across 190 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Diary of a Man of Fifty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Diary of a Man of Fifty 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 Diary of a Man of Fifty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
