Chapter 3 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
How do you know the name is assumed? JANET PREECE. Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward. HUGH MURRAY. What were the initials?
Chapter 3 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “How do you know the name is assumed?”
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
plural of “initial” — the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
From this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading “HUGH MURRAY.”
language expressed by visible hand gestures
From this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
with low volume
From this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
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 “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
In this reading “Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.”
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 Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
for the reason that
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HUGH MURRAY.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
plural of “initial” — the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JANET PREECE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading HUGH MURRAY.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
on one occasion
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
and nothing more
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JANET PREECE.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
cut with a saw
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
language expressed by visible hand gestures
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
with low volume
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What were the initials?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What were the initials?
during the time that
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Because I once came softly into the room while he was signing a letter; he wrote only his initials, but I saw that they didn’t belong to the name of Lawrence Kenward.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How do you know the name is assumed?
Chapter 3 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Wing Pinero holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Wing Pinero exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Profligate: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Wing Pinero on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2154 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49778 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49778, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 431 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Profligate: A Play in Four Acts 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 Profligate: A Play in Four Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
