Chapter 3 of The Problem of Cell 13 is here in full — 408 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 Problem of Cell 13 is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine. The warden did so. "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning: "This is not the way I intend to escape." "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
Chapter 3 of The Problem of Cell 13 is here in full — 408 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.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading “"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.”
refuse to acknowledge
From this reading “"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.”
an army unit large enough to sustain combat
From this reading “"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “"T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:”
past form of “instruct” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading “"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.”
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading “"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.”
past form of “spell” — orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading “"T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:”
The chief official or governor in charge of a prison institution.
From this reading “The warden did so.”
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 “"Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.”
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 "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The warden did so.
refuse to acknowledge
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
an army unit large enough to sustain combat
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
past form of “instruct” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
a particular point in time
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The warden did so.
past form of “spell” — orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
not in physical motion
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "T-h-i-s, this," he spelled, studied it a moment, then read it off, grinning:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
The chief official or governor in charge of a prison institution.
From this reading The warden did so.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "This is not the way I intend to escape."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "Read it backward, beginning with the 'T' signature and disregard the division into words," instructed The Thinking Machine.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, now what do you think o' that?" he demanded, still grinning.
Chapter 3 of The Problem of Cell 13 by Jacques Futrelle holds 408 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 408 sentences of The Problem of Cell 13, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Problem of Cell 13 by Jacques Futrelle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 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 Problem of Cell 13 by Jacques Futrelle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57669 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57669, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 509 minutes of reading across 1222 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Problem of Cell 13 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Problem of Cell 13 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 Problem of Cell 13, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
