Chapter 3 of The Gentle Grafter is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Gentle Grafter is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him. "'You see him,' says he. 'What seems to be on your mind?' "I never answered a word. I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
Chapter 3 of The Gentle Grafter is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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 Jewish priest and scribe sent by the Persian king to restore Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem
From this reading “"'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.”
a person who operates a farm
From this reading “"'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.”
a tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle
From this reading “I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'”
make a sound typical of metallic objects
From this reading “I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'”
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading “I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'”
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading “I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'”
given to merry frolicking
From this reading “I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'”
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 "I never answered a word.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I never answered a word.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'What seems to be on your mind?'
a Jewish priest and scribe sent by the Persian king to restore Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "'You see him,' says he.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
a tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
make a sound typical of metallic objects
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading 'What seems to be on your mind?'
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never answered a word.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'What seems to be on your mind?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
given to merry frolicking
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading 'What seems to be on your mind?'
not in physical motion
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'I'd like to see Farmer Ezra Plunkett,' says I to him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'What seems to be on your mind?'
in the company of; together with
From this reading I stood still, repeating to myself the rollicking lines of that merry jingle, 'The Man with the Hoe.'
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "I never answered a word.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'You see him,' says he.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'What seems to be on your mind?'
Chapter 3 of The Gentle Grafter by O. Henry holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 208 sentences of The Gentle Grafter, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Gentle Grafter by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Gentle Grafter by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2822 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1805 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1805, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 235 minutes of reading across 565 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gentle Grafter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Gentle Grafter 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 Gentle Grafter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
