Chapter 3 of The Old Helmet, Volume I is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Old Helmet, Volume I is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE DRAWING-ROOM. "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy." "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning. "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma." "Yes, but you did not stay.
Chapter 3 of The Old Helmet, Volume I is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “"I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."”
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime
From this reading “"Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."”
act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil
From this reading “"Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."”
plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading “"Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “"You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “"Yes, but you did not stay.”
place or situation affording some advantage (especially a comprehensive view or commanding perspective)
From this reading “"Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."”
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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
(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 "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes, but you did not stay.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Yes, but you did not stay.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE DRAWING-ROOM.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
set up or found
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE DRAWING-ROOM.
immediately past
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Yes, but you did not stay.
on one occasion
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Yes, but you did not stay.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE DRAWING-ROOM.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
place or situation affording some advantage (especially a comprehensive view or commanding perspective)
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was down stairs last night--in the afternoon, I mean--mamma."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, all the souls that were were forfeit once; And he that might the vantage best have took, Found out the remedy."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, but you did not stay.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You can come down stairs to-night, Eleanor," said Mrs. Powle the next morning.
Chapter 3 of The Old Helmet, Volume I by Susan Warner holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 256 sentences of The Old Helmet, Volume I, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Old Helmet, Volume I by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Old Helmet, Volume I by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6494 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26829 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26829, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 541 minutes of reading across 1299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Helmet, Volume I section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Old Helmet, Volume I 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 Old Helmet, Volume I, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
