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The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3
The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.
Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.
The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.
Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!
The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.
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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 Tragic Comedians — Volume 3

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.
/ʃiː ræn aʊt tuː ðə ʃeɪd ʌv ðə ˈɡɑːrdən wɔːlz tuː biː baɪ hərˈself ənd ɪn ðə er ənd ʃiː red ənd ˈɪnstəntli hɜːr oʊn ˈletər tuː ðə ˈberənɪs kræʃt ˈsentəns əˈpɑːn ˈsentəns ɪn ˈriːtɔːrt ˈsprɪŋɪŋ ʌp wɪð ðə kəmˈbætɪv ˈɪnstɪŋkt ʌv ə biːst tuː meɪk ˈdɪskɔːrd ʌv ðə stʌf ʃiː red ənd dɪˈraɪd ɪt/
Line 2
Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.
Line 3
The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.
/ðə ˈraɪtɪŋ strʌk tʃɪl æz ə ˈɡleɪʃər keɪv/
Line 4
Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!
Line 5
The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.
/ðə ˈberənɪs ˈkoʊldli ˈsteɪtɪd ðæt ʃiː hæd ərˈaɪvd ɪn ðə ˈsɪti tuː duː hɜːr best ɪn əˈsɪstɪŋ tuː ərˈeɪndʒ ˈmætərz wɪtʃ hæd kʌm tuː ə moʊst ənˈfɔːrtʃənət ənd ˌɪmˈpræktɪkəbəl pæs/

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.

assisting verb US /əˈsɪstɪŋ/

-ing form of “assist” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading “The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.”

combative adjective US /kəmˈbætɪv/

inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits

From this reading “She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.”

crashed verb US /kræʃt/

past form of “crash” — fall or come down violently

From this reading “She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.”

defensive adjective US /dɪˈfensɪv/

intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack

From this reading “Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.”

deride verb US /dɪˈraɪd/

treat or speak of with contempt

From this reading “She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.”

fervid adjective US /ˈfɜːrvəd/

characterized by intense emotion

From this reading “Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!”

glacier noun US /ˈɡleɪʃər/

a slowly moving mass of ice

From this reading “The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.”

impracticable adjective US /ˌɪmˈpræktɪkəbəl/

not capable of being carried out or put into practice

From this reading “The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.”

All words in this reading · 87

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

accompanimentnounUS /əˈkʌmpnɪmənt/

an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

affectionnounUS /əˈfekʃən/

a positive feeling of liking

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

arrangeverbUS /ərˈeɪndʒ/

put into a proper or systematic order

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.

assistingverbUS /əˈsɪstɪŋ/

-ing form of “assist” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

baronessnounUS /ˈberənɪs/

a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

beastnounUS /biːst/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

benignantadjective

pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

cavenounUS /keɪv/

a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea

From this reading The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.

chillnounUS /tʃɪl/

coldness due to a cold environment

From this reading The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

coldlyadverbUS /ˈkoʊldli/

lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

combativeadjectiveUS /kəmˈbætɪv/

inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

crashedverbUS /kræʃt/

past form of “crash” — fall or come down violently

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

defensiveadjectiveUS /dɪˈfensɪv/

intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

degreenounUS /dɪˈɡriː/

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

derideverbUS /dɪˈraɪd/

treat or speak of with contempt

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

discordnounUS /ˈdɪskɔːrd/

lack of agreement or harmony

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

fervidadjectiveUS /ˈfɜːrvəd/

characterized by intense emotion

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

friendshipnounUS /ˈfrendʃɪp/

the state of being friends (or friendly)

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

glaciernounUS /ˈɡleɪʃər/

a slowly moving mass of ice

From this reading The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

impracticableadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpræktɪkəbəl/

not capable of being carried out or put into practice

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

innocentadjectiveUS /ˈɪnəsənt/

free from evil or guilt

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

instantlyadverbUS /ˈɪnstəntli/

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

instinctnounUS /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/

inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

linesnounUS /laɪnz/

plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

maternaladjectiveUS /məˈtɜːrnəl/

characteristic of a mother

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

mattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

octopus-limbs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

passverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

respectfulnessnoun

courteous regard for people's feelings

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

retortnounUS /ˈriːtɔːrt/

a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

sentencenounUS /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

shadenounUS /ʃeɪd/

relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

springingverbUS /ˈsprɪŋɪŋ/

-ing form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

statedadjectiveUS /ˈsteɪtɪd/

declared as fact; explicitly stated

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.

stuffnounUS /stʌf/

the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

supplicationnoun

a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

TwiceadverbUS /twaɪs/

two times

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

unfortunateadjectiveUS /ənˈfɔːrtʃənət/

not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

wallsnounUS /wɔːlz/

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Twice she went over the lines with this defensive accompaniment; then they laid octopus-limbs on her.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Oh, what an answer to that letter of fervid respectfulness, of innocent supplication for maternal affection, for some degree of benignant friendship!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The baroness coldly stated, that she had arrived in the city to do her best in assisting to arrange matters which had come to a most unfortunate and impracticable pass.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She ran out to the shade of the garden walls to be by herself and in the air, and she read; and instantly her own letter to the baroness crashed sentence upon sentence, in retort, springing up with the combative instinct of a beast, to make discord of the stuff she read, and deride it.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading The writing struck chill as a glacier cave.

Chapter 1 of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 by George Meredith holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 1 of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 contain?

Chapter 1 holds 104 sentences of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 1 of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 Tragic Comedians — Volume 3

Common questions about reading The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3?

Yes. All 1094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4463 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4463, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 take to read?

About 91 minutes of reading across 219 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 section by section

How to work through The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Shade
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Garden
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Walls
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Herself
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tragic Comedians — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.