Chapter 3 of The Inventions of the Idiot is here in full — 487 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Inventions of the Idiot is here in full — 487 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker. "But I did not know that I sighed." "There you are," said the Idiot. "It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again. If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
Chapter 3 of The Inventions of the Idiot is here in full — 487 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading “If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"”
intentionally conceived
From this reading “If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “"There you are," said the Idiot.”
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading “If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"”
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)
From this reading “"It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “"But I did not know that I sighed."”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading “If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"”
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading “"It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.”
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.
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 you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
anew
From this reading "It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There you are," said the Idiot.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I did not know that I sighed."
intentionally conceived
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading "There you are," said the Idiot.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "But I did not know that I sighed."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But I did not know that I sighed."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)
From this reading "It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "But I did not know that I sighed."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
a thing, without saying which
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But I did not know that I sighed."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "There you are," said the Idiot.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There you are," said the Idiot.
a special situation
From this reading If you are not conscious of so actual a thing as a sigh, how much the more unconscious must you be of something so subtle as motive?"
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading "It is the Philosophy of the Unconscious again.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I did want it," said Mr. Whitechoker.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "There you are," said the Idiot.
Chapter 3 of The Inventions of the Idiot by John Kendrick Bangs holds 487 sentences, grouped into 98 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 487 sentences of The Inventions of the Idiot, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Inventions of the Idiot by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 487 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Inventions of the Idiot by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1493 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 124 minutes of reading across 299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inventions of the Idiot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Inventions of the Idiot 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 Inventions of the Idiot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
