Chapter 3 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March. "Jenkins is a very good shot," said Fisher. "A very good shot who can pretend to be a very bad shot. Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins? It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
Chapter 3 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
possessive form of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading “It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.”
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading “"Jenkins is a very good shot," said Fisher.”
an indirect suggestion
From this reading “Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?”
march in a procession
From this reading “"But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.”
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading “"A very good shot who can pretend to be a very bad shot.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “"But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.”
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.”
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 "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
later than; following
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "A very good shot who can pretend to be a very bad shot.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "A very good shot who can pretend to be a very bad shot.
possessive form of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading "Jenkins is a very good shot," said Fisher.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
an indirect suggestion
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
cause to move by striking
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Jenkins is a very good shot," said Fisher.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jenkins is a very good shot," said Fisher.
engage in
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
march in a procession
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading "A very good shot who can pretend to be a very bad shot.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading It was my cousin's account of his bad shooting.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
express in words
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
precisely as stated
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
which person or people
From this reading "A very good shot who can pretend to be a very bad shot.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But you said he would have to be a very good shot," protested March.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading Shall I tell you the second hint I hit on, after yours, to make me think it was Jenkins?
Chapter 3 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 172 sentences of The Man Who Knew Too Much, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1720, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Knew Too Much section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Man Who Knew Too Much 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 Man Who Knew Too Much, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
