Chapter 3 of The Gates Ajar is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Gates Ajar is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more. How pleasant--how pleasant this is! I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven. I wonder if Roy has seen the President. Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
Chapter 3 of The Gates Ajar is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
inflected form of “bite” — to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
a message received and understood
From this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading “I wonder if Roy has seen the President.”
required or under orders
From this reading “I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.”
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
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 “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
In this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
In this reading “I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.”
In this reading “Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
inflected form of “bite” — to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I wonder if Roy has seen the President.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How pleasant--how pleasant this is!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I wonder if Roy has seen the President.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
a message received and understood
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How pleasant--how pleasant this is!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
and nothing more
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the sound of laughing
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
not any; not one
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading How pleasant--how pleasant this is!
an executive officer of a firm or corporation
From this reading I wonder if Roy has seen the President.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wonder if Roy has seen the President.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I wonder if Roy has seen the President.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
required or under orders
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading How pleasant--how pleasant this is!
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aunt Winifred says she does not doubt it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Faith appeared upon the scene just then, with the interesting information that she had bitten her tongue; so we talked no more.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder if Roy has seen the President.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I never supposed before that God would let any one laugh in heaven.
Chapter 3 of The Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 461 sentences of The Gates Ajar, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2735 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54230 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54230, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 227 minutes of reading across 547 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gates Ajar section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Gates Ajar 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 Gates Ajar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
