Chapter 3 of The poisoned paradise is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The poisoned paradise is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar. The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off. “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine. Just treat them like the dirt they are. Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
Chapter 3 of The poisoned paradise is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading “It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.”
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading ““Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.”
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading “Just treat them like the dirt they are.”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.”
past form of “regain” — get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading “It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.”
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading “Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!”
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading ““Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.”
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading “It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.”
sell or get rid of all one's merchandise
In this reading “Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!”
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 “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
and nothing more
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
the sound of laughing
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
and nothing more
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
past form of “regain” — get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading Ah! if only I could sell out and retire to the country!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
interact in a certain way
From this reading Just treat them like the dirt they are.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
at the time that
From this reading The Mère Tranquille looked troubled when she heard the story, but pretended to laugh it off.
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was with ashen cheeks and wildly beating heart that she regained the little bar.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don’t be alarmed, _chérie_; I can defend you against a dozen of these swine.
Chapter 3 of The poisoned paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Service holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The poisoned paradise, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The poisoned paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Service exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 poisoned paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Service on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The poisoned paradise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The poisoned paradise 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 poisoned paradise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
