Chapter 3 of The Ivory Tower is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Ivory Tower is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed. "From what you'd have been if you had come." The young man was indeed drawn in. "If I had come years ago? Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
Chapter 3 of The Ivory Tower is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
in the past
From this reading “"If I had come years ago?”
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.”
(of information) make known; pass on
From this reading “It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “The young man was indeed drawn in.”
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “The young man was indeed drawn in.”
many times at short intervals
From this reading “Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.”
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.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “The young man was indeed drawn in.”
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 It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
in the past
From this reading "If I had come years ago?
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
(of information) make known; pass on
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
in a joyous manner
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If I had come years ago?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
a particular point in time
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
a form of address for a man
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
by chance
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
express in words
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It took Mr. Betterman a moment to say, but he seemed to convey that it might have been guessed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
(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 Well, perhaps," he so far happily agreed--"for I've often thought of that myself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
a late time of life
From this reading "If I had come years ago?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "From what you'd have been if you had come."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man was indeed drawn in.
Chapter 3 of The Ivory Tower by Henry James holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of The Ivory Tower, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Ivory Tower by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Ivory Tower by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 230 minutes of reading across 553 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ivory Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Ivory Tower 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 Ivory Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
