Chapter 12 of Three Men: A Novel is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Three Men: A Novel is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He? He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want." "You'll break him!" "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do? Was I born for just one man?
Chapter 12 of Three Men: A Novel is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
brought into existence
From this reading “Was I born for just one man?”
terminate
From this reading “"You'll break him!"”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “"Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?”
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading “He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “"Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?”
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading “He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."”
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.
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
brought into existence
From this reading Was I born for just one man?
terminate
From this reading "You'll break him!"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
in an ill-natured manner
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Was I born for just one man?
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
and nothing more
From this reading Was I born for just one man?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Was I born for just one man?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Was I born for just one man?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was I born for just one man?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Good heavens!" she cried crossly, "what am I to do?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He's as gentle--I can twist him which way I want."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You'll break him!"
Chapter 12 of Three Men: A Novel by Maksim Gorky holds 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 12 holds 382 sentences of Three Men: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Three Men: A Novel by Maksim Gorky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 12 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 Three Men: A Novel by Maksim Gorky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8801 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56456 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56456, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1761 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Three Men: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Three Men: A Novel 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 Three Men: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
