Chapter 3 of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, certainly not," repeated George. "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan! There you are right." Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir! Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
Chapter 3 of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading “Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"”
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading “"No, certainly not," repeated George.”
largest city in Scotland; a port on the Clyde in west central Scotland; one of the great shipbuilding centers of the world
From this reading “Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"”
one who reveals confidential information in return for money
From this reading “Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!”
possessive form of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “"My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"No, certainly not," repeated George.”
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 "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There you are right."
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "No, certainly not," repeated George.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading "No, certainly not," repeated George.
largest city in Scotland; a port on the Clyde in west central Scotland; one of the great shipbuilding centers of the world
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
one who reveals confidential information in return for money
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
possessive form of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
not any; not one
From this reading "No, certainly not," repeated George.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, certainly not," repeated George.
recurring again and again
From this reading "No, certainly not," repeated George.
precisely, exactly
From this reading There you are right."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
term of address for a man
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
a male human offspring
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
in or at that place or location
From this reading There you are right."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Is this the crazy minister's son from Glasgow?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then, turning around to his informer, he said: "Mercy be about us, Sir!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "My mother's son you may be--but not a Colwan!
Chapter 3 of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a by James Hogg holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 139 sentences of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a by James Hogg exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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.
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Yes. All 3111 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2276 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2276, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 259 minutes of reading across 623 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a 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 Private Memoirs and Confessions of a, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
