Chapter 3 of The Foolish Lovers is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Foolish Lovers is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That would not happen to him. If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another. If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one. If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again.... But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
Chapter 3 of The Foolish Lovers is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....”
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading “If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....”
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading “If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....”
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading “If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.”
come to pass
From this reading “That would not happen to him.”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.”
the feeling that things will turn out badly
From this reading “But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.”
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 If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
anew
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
have
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
come to pass
From this reading That would not happen to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That would not happen to him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
for more time
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
engage in
From this reading If he made a fortune and lost it, he would make another one.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading That would not happen to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
the feeling that things will turn out badly
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading If he failed in one enterprise he would start off on another.
not in physical motion
From this reading But the mood of pessimism still held him and he could not bear to look at the books any longer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That would not happen to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That would not happen to him.
(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 If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If the things he built were to be destroyed ... well, he would start building again....
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That would not happen to him.
Chapter 3 of The Foolish Lovers by St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of The Foolish Lovers, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Foolish Lovers by St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Foolish Lovers by St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8893 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9461 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9461, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1779 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Foolish Lovers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Foolish Lovers 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 Foolish Lovers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
