Chapter 3 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes. As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope. Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice: "No, I perjured myself. I was served in that suit.
Chapter 3 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
past form of “cringe” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.”
past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)
From this reading “The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.”
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading “As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.”
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading “Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:”
past form of “perjure” — knowingly tell an untruth in a legal court and render oneself guilty of perjury
From this reading “"No, I perjured myself.”
a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung
From this reading “The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.”
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading “Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:”
inflected form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading “Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:”
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 The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
exhale hard
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
past form of “cringe” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No, I perjured myself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "No, I perjured myself.
not any; not one
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
past form of “perjure” — knowingly tell an untruth in a legal court and render oneself guilty of perjury
From this reading "No, I perjured myself.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading I was served in that suit.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading I was served in that suit.
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was served in that suit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man cringed back as if a stinging blow had been delivered between his eyes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As he met Craig's fixed glare he knew there was no hope.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
the words that are spoken
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
inflected form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading Slowly, as if the words were being wrung from him syllable by syllable, he said in a muffled voice:
Chapter 3 of The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 187 sentences of The Poisoned Pen, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1923 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1923, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 531 minutes of reading across 1276 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poisoned Pen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Poisoned Pen 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 Pen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
