Chapter 17 of The Three Lovers is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Three Lovers is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I see we're interrupted." Patricia took two or three steps towards the door. She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension. "Mrs. Tallentyre," she said, impulsively. "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
Chapter 17 of The Three Lovers is here in full — 413 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.”
determined or actuated by emotion rather than reason
From this reading “She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.”
in an impulsive or impetuous way; without taking cautions
From this reading “"Mrs. Tallentyre," she said, impulsively.”
discontinued temporarily
From this reading “"I see we're interrupted."”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “"Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “"Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.”
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading “She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.”
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading “She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.”
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 “She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.”
In this reading “Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.”
In this reading “Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.”
In this reading “She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.”
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 She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
without stop or interruption
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
determined or actuated by emotion rather than reason
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I see we're interrupted."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
in an impulsive or impetuous way; without taking cautions
From this reading "Mrs. Tallentyre," she said, impulsively.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading "I see we're interrupted."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Mrs. Tallentyre," she said, impulsively.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Mrs. Tallentyre," she said, impulsively.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see we're interrupted."
in a serious manner
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
not in physical motion
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "Monty didn't quite mean his proposal of marriage; but if he had meant it I shouldn't have ... taken it seriously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mrs. Tallentyre," she said, impulsively.
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
in the direction of
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Patricia took two or three steps towards the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I see we're interrupted."
in the company of; together with
From this reading She was still in a state of suppressed excitement, and was half blind with the continued emotional tension.
Chapter 17 of The Three Lovers by Frank Swinnerton holds 413 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 17 holds 413 sentences of The Three Lovers, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Three Lovers by Frank Swinnerton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 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 17 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 Three Lovers by Frank Swinnerton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7752 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63479 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63479, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Three Lovers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Three Lovers 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 Three Lovers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
