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The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton
The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
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AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
“Yes, I am the King of Prussia.
A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
You are evidently one of the latter class.”
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
/æt ðə əˈnaʊnsmənt ðæt ðə ˈʃæbi mæn wɪð ðə ˈspɑːrklɪŋ ənd ˈspiːkɪŋ aɪz ənd ðə sɑːft ənd məˈloʊdiəs vɔɪs wɑːz ˈfredrɪk ʌv ˈprʌʃə ðə ˈɡreɪtəst ˈkæptən ʌv ðə eɪdʒ ðə tuː men kənˈsiːld ɪn ðə ˈklɑːzət ɡruː ˈrɪdʒəd wɪð əˈstɑːnɪʃmənt/
Line 2
They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
/ðeɪ dɪd nɑːt niːd hɪz ˈkerləs bʌt kənˈfɜːrmətɔːri nɑːd tuː biː kənˈvɪnst ʌv hɪz aɪˈdentɪtiː bʌt wen hiː spoʊk ɪt wɑːz tuː seɪ/
Line 3
“Yes, I am the King of Prussia.
/jes aɪ æm ðə kɪŋ ʌv ˈprʌʃə/
Line 4
A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
Line 5
You are evidently one of the latter class.”
/juː ɑːr ˈevədəntli wʌn ʌv ðə ˈlætər klæs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

announcement noun US /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

closet noun US /ˈklɑːzət/

a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

From this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

confirmatory adjective US /kənˈfɜːrmətɔːri/

serving to support or corroborate

From this reading “They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:”

identity noun US /aɪˈdentɪtiː/

the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity

From this reading “They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:”

melodious adjective US /məˈloʊdiəs/

having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune

From this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

Prussia noun US /ˈprʌʃə/

a former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland

From this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

rigid adjective US /ˈrɪdʒəd/

incapable of or resistant to bending

From this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

shabby adjective US /ˈʃæbi/

showing signs of wear and tear

From this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

melodious voice adjective + noun

In this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

grew rigid verb + adjective counted as “grow rigid”

In this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

two men noun + noun

In this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

latter class adjective + noun

In this reading “You are evidently one of the latter class.””

many people adjective + noun

In this reading “A great many people know me by sight--more do not.”

with astonishment preposition + noun

In this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

in the closet preposition + article + noun counted as “in … closet”

In this reading “AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”

astonishmentnounUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃmənt/

the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

captainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

carelessadjectiveUS /ˈkerləs/

marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

classnounUS /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”

closetnounUS /ˈklɑːzət/

a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

concealedadjectiveUS /kənˈsiːld/

not accessible to view

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

confirmatoryadjectiveUS /kənˈfɜːrmətɔːri/

serving to support or corroborate

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

convincedadjectiveUS /kənˈvɪnst/

persuaded of; very sure

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

evidentlyadverbUS /ˈevədəntli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

FredericknounUS /ˈfredrɪk/

a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.

identitynounUS /aɪˈdentɪtiː/

the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

melodiousadjectiveUS /məˈloʊdiəs/

having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

nodverbUS /nɑːd/

express or signify by nodding

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

PrussianounUS /ˈprʌʃə/

a former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

rigidadjectiveUS /ˈrɪdʒəd/

incapable of or resistant to bending

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

shabbyadjectiveUS /ˈʃæbi/

showing signs of wear and tear

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.

softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

sparklingadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːrklɪŋ/

shining with brilliant points of light like stars

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/

the utterance of intelligible speech

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”

Chapter 3 of The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton by Molly Elliot Seawell holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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.

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Chapter 3 holds 251 sentences of The lively adventures of Gavin Hamilton, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.

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