Chapter 3 of The Sword of Damocles is here in full — 1395 sentences across 279 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Sword of Damocles is here in full — 1395 sentences across 279 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LIFE AND DEATH. XIV. MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE. “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.” —OTHELLO.
Chapter 3 of The Sword of Damocles is here in full — 1395 sentences across 279 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/279 · 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.
a quantity of no importance
From this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.”
lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
From this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
the literary culture
From this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy who would not trust his wife
From this reading “—OTHELLO.”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.”
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.
put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.
In this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
In this reading ““I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.””
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 MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LIFE AND DEATH.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
a quantity of no importance
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading LIFE AND DEATH.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
the literary culture
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading LIFE AND DEATH.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy who would not trust his wife
From this reading —OTHELLO.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
express in speech
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MISS BELINDA HAS A QUESTION TO DECIDE.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading XIV.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I pray you in your letters, * * * * * Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice.”
Chapter 3 of The Sword of Damocles by Anna Katharine Green holds 1395 sentences, grouped into 279 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 1395 sentences of The Sword of Damocles, unabridged, divided into 279 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Sword of Damocles by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1395 sentences, grouped into 279 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 279 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 279 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 Sword of Damocles by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6485 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33301, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 540 minutes of reading across 1297 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sword of Damocles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Sword of Damocles 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 Sword of Damocles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
