Chapter 3 of The Second String is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Second String is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip. I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style. Will you stand in, it will be worth it?" The chief engineer looked dubious. "I had a very small win," he said.
Chapter 3 of The Second String is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
From this reading “"Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.”
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading “The chief engineer looked dubious.”
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading “The chief engineer looked dubious.”
of or befitting a lord
From this reading “I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.”
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading “"Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.”
a stipulated condition
From this reading “I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “"Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “"Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.”
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 “The chief engineer looked dubious.”
In this reading “The chief engineer looked dubious.”
be a substitute
In this reading “Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"”
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 "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"
a person who is in charge
From this reading The chief engineer looked dubious.
socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading The chief engineer looked dubious.
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading The chief engineer looked dubious.
the act of departing
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I had a very small win," he said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I had a very small win," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The chief engineer looked dubious.
of or befitting a lord
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
a stipulated condition
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
transport commercially
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I had a very small win," he said.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I am about to provision this ship in a lordly style.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I had a very small win," he said.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Mac," said the skipper, "we are going to have a decent trip.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading "I had a very small win," he said.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you stand in, it will be worth it?"
Chapter 3 of The Second String by Nat Gould holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of The Second String, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Second String by Nat Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Second String by Nat Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Second String section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Second String 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 Second String, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
