Chapter 3 of The Last Penny is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Last Penny is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room. The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read. Presently he found that he could not sit quietly. He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about. Thinking about it did not end the trouble.
Chapter 3 of The Last Penny is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
next to; at the side of
From this reading “The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.”
foreshadow or presage
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading “The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.”
in the near future
From this reading “Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.”
with low volume
From this reading “Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.”
be seated
From this reading “Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.”
hard to endure
From this reading “The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.”
not yet opened or unsealed
From this reading “The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.”
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 “He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.”
In this reading “Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.”
In this reading “AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.”
have on one's mind, think about actively
In this reading “He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
later than; following
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Thinking about it did not end the trouble.
a room used for dining
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Thinking about it did not end the trouble.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
set up or found
From this reading Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
foreshadow or presage
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Thinking about it did not end the trouble.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
in the near future
From this reading Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.
with low volume
From this reading Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
be seated
From this reading Presently he found that he could not sit quietly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
a special situation
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AFTER his father left Tommy sat in the dining-room.
a source of difficulty
From this reading Thinking about it did not end the trouble.
hard to endure
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
not yet opened or unsealed
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went out of the house, that he might not think about the one thing that he could not help thinking about.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The _Herald_ lay unopened beside his plate, but he knew without trying that he could not read.
Chapter 3 of The Last Penny by Edwin Lefevre holds 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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 64 sentences of The Last Penny, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Last Penny by Edwin Lefevre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Last Penny by Edwin Lefevre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4946 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51966 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51966, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 412 minutes of reading across 990 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Penny section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Last Penny 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 Last Penny, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
