Chapter 3 of The Gates of Chance is here in full — 425 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 Gates of Chance is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man. Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure." "I am innocent!" repeated the young man. "But to prove it?" "It shall be proved."
Chapter 3 of The Gates of Chance is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading “"Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."”
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading “Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “"But to prove it?"”
established beyond doubt
From this reading “"It shall be proved."”
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading “"Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.”
past form of “succumb” — consent reluctantly
From this reading “Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am innocent!" repeated the young man.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But to prove it?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
of an obscure nature
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
in other respects or ways
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
be shown or be found to be
From this reading "But to prove it?"
established beyond doubt
From this reading "It shall be proved."
recurring again and again
From this reading "I am innocent!" repeated the young man.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "It shall be proved."
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
past form of “succumb” — consent reluctantly
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
English physician (1624-1689)
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I am innocent!" repeated the young man.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had it been otherwise you would long since have succumbed under this mysterious and terrible pressure."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Sydenham," said Indiman, solemnly, "I now know you to be an innocent man.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "I am innocent!" repeated the young man.
Chapter 3 of The Gates of Chance by Van Tassel Sutphen holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 425 sentences of The Gates of Chance, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Gates of Chance by Van Tassel Sutphen exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 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 Gates of Chance by Van Tassel Sutphen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3853 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3758 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3758, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 771 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gates of Chance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Gates of Chance 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 of Chance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
