Chapter 3 of The Undying Past is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Undying Past is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What do you mean? Remember, sir, that I am a corps student." "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better." The Candidate gave a swaggering bow. "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
Chapter 3 of The Undying Past is here in full — 411 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.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.”
a politician who is running for public office
From this reading “The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.”
an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support
From this reading “Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."”
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading “"There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.”
a revolving stone shaped like a disk; used to grind or sharpen or polish edge tools
From this reading “"Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."”
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
From this reading “"Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."”
a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading “Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."”
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading “The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.”
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.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “"Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."”
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 Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
any thing at all
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.
a politician who is running for public office
From this reading The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.
an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you mean?
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.
a revolving stone shaped like a disk; used to grind or sharpen or polish edge tools
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
for more time
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What do you mean?
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
To recall to mind.
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
term of address for a man
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading The Candidate gave a swaggering bow.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Remember, sir, that I am a corps student."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is nothing to detain me here longer," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you mean?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you mean?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then I am afraid, young man, that you'll have to put your nose to the grindstone," answered Leo, "before you become anything better."
Chapter 3 of The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann holds 411 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 3 holds 411 sentences of The Undying Past, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 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 Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34156 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34156, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2094 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Undying Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Undying Past 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 Undying Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
