Chapter 3 of The Laughing Prince is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Laughing Prince is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The sons didn't know any more than any one else. One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves. "Why don't we just go and ask him?" Janko suggested. "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
Chapter 3 of The Laughing Prince is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “"If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.”
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “"If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.”
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.”
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.”
in an important way or to an important degree
From this reading “"If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.”
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “"If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.”
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “The sons didn't know any more than any one else.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Janko suggested.”
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.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
any person at all
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
in an important way or to an important degree
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Janko suggested.
and nothing more
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Janko suggested.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sons didn't know any more than any one else.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading One day they were in the garden discussing the matter among themselves.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why don't we just go and ask him?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother importantly.
Chapter 3 of The Laughing Prince by Parker Fillmore holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 449 sentences of The Laughing Prince, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Laughing Prince by Parker Fillmore exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Laughing Prince by Parker Fillmore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3075 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19713 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19713, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 256 minutes of reading across 615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Laughing Prince section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Laughing Prince 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 Laughing Prince, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
