Chapter 3 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.” After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony. His body was contorted, his face was terrible. His dry mouth opened wide. He screamed!
Chapter 3 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading “After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.”
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading “His body was contorted, his face was terrible.”
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “His dry mouth opened wide.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.”
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “He screamed!”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “His body was contorted, his face was terrible.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “His dry mouth opened wide.”
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading “After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
later than; following
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading His body was contorted, his face was terrible.
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading His body was contorted, his face was terrible.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading His dry mouth opened wide.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His body was contorted, his face was terrible.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His body was contorted, his face was terrible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading His dry mouth opened wide.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading His dry mouth opened wide.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading He screamed!
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading His body was contorted, his face was terrible.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His body was contorted, his face was terrible.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading His dry mouth opened wide.
in the company of; together with
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading After a little the old money-lender leaned far back like a man wrenched with agony.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “He said,” the woman answered, “that he lost it--in your office; lost the money there.”
Chapter 3 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6634 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63184 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63184, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 552 minutes of reading across 1327 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
