Chapter 3 of The Philistines is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Philistines is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Am I so particular, then?" "Yes, I think you are." "Thank you for nothing." "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you. Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
Chapter 3 of The Philistines is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
make certain of
From this reading “"Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.”
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading “Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"”
conveying or resembling a compliment
From this reading “"Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.”
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “"Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “"Am I so particular, then?"”
plural of “taste” — the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus
From this reading “Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"Thank you for nothing."”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Yes, I think you are."”
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 Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Am I so particular, then?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Yes, I think you are."
make certain of
From this reading "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
conveying or resembling a compliment
From this reading "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Thank you for nothing."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Am I so particular, then?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Thank you for nothing."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading "Am I so particular, then?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Am I so particular, then?"
plural of “taste” — the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank you for nothing."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Am I so particular, then?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Yes, I think you are."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, I meant to be complimentary, I assure you.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I think you are."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, I think you are."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Isn't it a compliment to be thought particular in your tastes?"
Chapter 3 of The Philistines by Arlo Bates holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Philistines, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Philistines by Arlo Bates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Philistines by Arlo Bates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4454 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8570 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8570, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 371 minutes of reading across 891 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Philistines section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Philistines 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 Philistines, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
