Chapter 3 of The Madigans is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Madigans is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"N-no," said Sissy. "Well, see that you don't squabble with her. Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage. All poppycock!" "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
Chapter 3 of The Madigans is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading “Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.”
with appreciation; in a grateful manner
From this reading “"Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.”
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading “Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.”
easily agitated
From this reading “Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.”
senseless talk
From this reading “All poppycock!"”
a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive
From this reading “"N-no," said Sissy.”
a quarrel about petty points
From this reading “"Well, see that you don't squabble with her.”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.”
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 Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
in the past
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All poppycock!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
with appreciation; in a grateful manner
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "N-no," said Sissy.
easily agitated
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
senseless talk
From this reading All poppycock!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "N-no," said Sissy.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
deliver by singing
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive
From this reading "N-no," said Sissy.
a quarrel about petty points
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading "Can I help you down the first step, doctor?" asked Sissy, gratefully.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
(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, see that you don't squabble with her.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, see that you don't squabble with her.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your aunt ought to have sent for me five days ago, instead of which she lets a sick, nervous, half-crazy child dance and sing on the stage.
Chapter 3 of The Madigans by Miriam Michelson holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The Madigans, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Madigans by Miriam Michelson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Madigans by Miriam Michelson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3278 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21243 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21243, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Madigans section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Madigans 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 Madigans, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
