Chapter 3 of The Romance of a Shop is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Romance of a Shop is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WAYS AND MEANS. _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH. "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?" "Yes, really, Con." It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
Chapter 3 of The Romance of a Shop is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “_O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.”
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading “_O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.”
an argument opposed to a proposal
From this reading “"Yes, really, Con."”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.”
a county in southwestern England
From this reading “It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.”
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading “_O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “_O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.”
a particular instance of selling
From this reading “It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.”
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 the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.”
In this reading “It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.”
In this reading “It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.”
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 _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
possessing life
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WAYS AND MEANS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
an argument opposed to a proposal
From this reading "Yes, really, Con."
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
a county in southwestern England
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
the act of departing
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
immediately past
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading WAYS AND MEANS.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
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 _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
and nothing more
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
a particular instance of selling
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _O 'tis not joy and 'tis not bliss, Only it is precisely this That keeps us all alive._ A. H. CLOUGH.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading WAYS AND MEANS.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was the day before the sale, and the two girls, Gertrude Lorimer and Constance Devonshire were walking round the garden together for the last time.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, really, Con."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So you are really, really going to do it, Gerty?"
Chapter 3 of The Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy holds 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 86 sentences of The Romance of a Shop, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2747 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57447 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57447, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 228 minutes of reading across 550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Romance of a Shop section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Romance of a Shop 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 Romance of a Shop, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
