Chapter 3 of The Lever: A Novel is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Lever: A Novel is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.' "'Do they?' he replied, good-naturedly. 'I don't think I quite follow you.' "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon. In America it would have required several days.'
Chapter 3 of The Lever: A Novel is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “In America it would have required several days.'”
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “"I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'”
in a good-natured manner
From this reading “"'Do they?' he replied, good-naturedly.”
according to the clock
From this reading “"'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “In America it would have required several days.'”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “"I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “"'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “"'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.”
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 looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "'Do they?' he replied, good-naturedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I don't think I quite follow you.'
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading 'I don't think I quite follow you.'
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
in a good-natured manner
From this reading "'Do they?' he replied, good-naturedly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "'Do they?' he replied, good-naturedly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
a particular point in time
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
according to the clock
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading 'I don't think I quite follow you.'
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "'Do they?' he replied, good-naturedly.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
express in words
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 'I don't think I quite follow you.'
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading In America it would have required several days.'
the day immediately before today
From this reading "'Why, they have taken that telephone out since four o'clock yesterday afternoon.
but in spite of that
From this reading "I looked at him a moment, then I said as calmly as I could, 'and yet they say the English are slow.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'I don't think I quite follow you.'
Chapter 3 of The Lever: A Novel by William Dana Orcutt holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of The Lever: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Lever: A Novel by William Dana Orcutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Lever: A Novel by William Dana Orcutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4681 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15430 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15430, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 937 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lever: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Lever: A Novel 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 Lever: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
