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The spokesman's secretary
The spokesman's secretary

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The spokesman's secretary is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The spokesman's secretary
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:
Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.
I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.
There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.
And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The spokesman's secretary

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The spokesman's secretary is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:
/ɪn wɪtʃ aɪ rɪŋ ðə bel dɪr mɑːm/
Line 2
Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.
/wel aɪ səˈpoʊz juː siːn maɪ aɪˈdiːəz ɪn ðə ˈpeɪpərz/
Line 3
I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.
/aɪ hæv ˈnevər hæd ˈeniθɪŋ soʊ ˈwʌndərfəl ˈhæpən tuː miː ɪn maɪ hoʊl laɪf/
Line 4
There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.
/ðer ɪt wɑːz ˈevəri bɪt ʌv ɪt ənd ɔːl fɪkst ʌp ɪn sʌtʃ faɪn ˈlæŋɡwədʒ æz aɪ kʊd ˈnevər ʌv θɔːt ʌv ənd ˈsaʊndɪŋ soʊ ˈveri ˈveri waɪz/
Line 5
And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.
/ənd tuː θɪŋk ðæt ðɪs ˈɡreɪtəst mæn ɪn ðə hoʊl wɜːrld hæz sed ɪt ənd ˈevəri ˈnuːzpeɪpər ɪn ðə hoʊl wɜːrld ˈɔːlmoʊst hæz ˈpʌblɪʃt ɪt ɑːn ðə frʌnt peɪdʒ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bell noun US /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading “IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:”

ideas noun US /aɪˈdiːəz/

plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading “Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.”

language noun US /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

From this reading “There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.”

mom noun US /mɑːm/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading “IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:”

newspaper noun US /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading “And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.”

page noun US /peɪdʒ/

one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading “And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.”

published adjective US /ˈpʌblɪʃt/

prepared and printed for distribution and sale

From this reading “And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.”

sounding adjective US /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/

appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms

From this reading “There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

RING THE BELL verb + article + noun counted as “ring … bell”

In this reading “IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:”

whole world adjective + noun

In this reading “And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.”

front page noun + noun

In this reading “And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.”

whole life adjective + noun

In this reading “I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

BELLnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

fineadjectiveUS /faɪn/

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

fixedadjectiveUS /fɪkst/

(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

happenverbUS /ˈhæpən/

come to pass

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

ideasnounUS /aɪˈdiːəz/

plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

languagenounUS /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

MannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

MOMnounUS /mɑːm/

informal terms for a mother

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

newspapernounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

pagenounUS /peɪdʒ/

one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

publishedadjectiveUS /ˈpʌblɪʃt/

prepared and printed for distribution and sale

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

RINGverbUS /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

soundingadjectiveUS /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/

appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

supposeverbUS /səˈpoʊz/

express a supposition

From this reading Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(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, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

WHICHpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading IN WHICH I RING THE BELL DEAR MOM:

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

wiseadjectiveUS /waɪz/

having or prompted by wisdom or discernment

From this reading There it was every bit of it and all fixed up in such fine language as I could never of thought of and sounding so very very wise.

wonderfuladjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərfəl/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

From this reading I have never had anything so wonderful happen to me in my whole life.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading And to think that this greatest Man in the whole world has said it, and every newspaper in the whole world almost has published it on the front page.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Well, I suppose you seen my ideas in the papers.

Chapter 3 of The spokesman's secretary by Upton Sinclair holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

What does chapter 3 of The spokesman's secretary contain?

Chapter 3 holds 97 sentences of The spokesman's secretary, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The spokesman's secretary by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of The spokesman's secretary?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The spokesman's secretary

Common questions about reading The spokesman's secretary by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The spokesman's secretary?

Yes. All 1476 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71030 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The spokesman's secretary is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #71030, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The spokesman's secretary take to read?

About 123 minutes of reading across 296 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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Vocabulary met early in The spokesman's secretary

Words and structures a reader meets early in The spokesman's secretary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Being
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Complaining
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Enough
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The spokesman's secretary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.