Chapter 3 of Unfinished Portraits is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Unfinished Portraits is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth. She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek. "You ugly thing!" she said. She laughed. Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
Chapter 3 of Unfinished Portraits is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.”
very attractive; capturing interest
From this reading “She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.”
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading “He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.”
in a peacefully serene manner
From this reading “Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.”
hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
From this reading “She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.”
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “"You ugly thing!" she said.”
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 started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.”
In this reading “"You ugly thing!" she said.”
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 started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
very attractive; capturing interest
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading She laughed.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You ugly thing!" she said.
in a peacefully serene manner
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Franz gazed serenely at the sky, a pleased smile on his lips.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She started back, fetching him a ringing slap on the cheek.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He bent suddenly, and kissed it full on the mouth.
a special situation
From this reading "You ugly thing!" she said.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading "You ugly thing!" she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You ugly thing!" she said.
Chapter 3 of Unfinished Portraits by Jennette Lee holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of Unfinished Portraits, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Unfinished Portraits by Jennette Lee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Unfinished Portraits by Jennette Lee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1638 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30562 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30562, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Unfinished Portraits section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Unfinished Portraits 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 Unfinished Portraits, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
