Chapter 3 of The Playboy of the Western World is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Playboy of the Western World is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PEGEEN. _contemptuously._—She did not. She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after. That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself. [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
Chapter 3 of The Playboy of the Western World is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid
From this reading “She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.”
plural of “cross” — a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece
From this reading “[_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.”
spoil as if by poison
From this reading “She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.”
one of five children born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading “[_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.”
having accumulated rust
From this reading “She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.”
marked by deception
From this reading “That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.”
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 She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
later than; following
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading _contemptuously._—She did not.
cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
plural of “cross” — a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece
From this reading [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading _contemptuously._—She did not.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
a state of high honor
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
cause to move by striking
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _contemptuously._—She did not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PEGEEN.
select carefully from a group
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
spoil as if by poison
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
one of five children born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
having accumulated rust
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _contemptuously._—She did not.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
marked by deception
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading [_She crosses to Christy’s left._] WIDOW QUIN.
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading She hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after.
Chapter 3 of The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. (John Millington) Synge holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 266 sentences of The Playboy of the Western World, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. (John Millington) Synge exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Playboy of the Western World by J. M. (John Millington) Synge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1807 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1240 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1240, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 150 minutes of reading across 362 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Playboy of the Western World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Playboy of the Western World 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 Playboy of the Western World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
