Chapter 3 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION. "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly. "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?" "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory." "I should like to hear it," said Spicer.
Chapter 3 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading “OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.”
without care or concern
From this reading “"What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.”
having or given a form or shape
From this reading “"I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"”
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading “OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.”
make a map of; show or establish the features of details of
From this reading “"Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."”
comparative of “spic” — completely neat and clean
From this reading “OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “"Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."”
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 “"I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “"What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.”
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 "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.
without care or concern
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
a person who is in charge
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I should like to hear it," said Spicer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I should like to hear it," said Spicer.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I should like to hear it," said Spicer.
make a map of; show or establish the features of details of
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
not any; not one
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I should like to hear it," said Spicer.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should like to hear it," said Spicer.
comparative of “spic” — completely neat and clean
From this reading OLD SPICER BEGINS AN INVESTIGATION.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
(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," rejoined the chief, "I am beginning to map out a theory."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
but in spite of that
From this reading "I have formed no decided opinion as yet," was the reply, "have you?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you think of the case, Spicer?" asked the chief, carelessly.
Chapter 3 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 159 sentences of The Spruce Street Tragedy, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 768 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spruce Street Tragedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Spruce Street Tragedy 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 Spruce Street Tragedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
