Washington Irving

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Washington Irving is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Charles Dudley Warner • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

The town fascinated him more than any other in Europe; he notes that the city is rapidly beautifying under the emperor, that the people seem gay and happy, and 'Vive la bagatelle!' is again the burden of their song.

His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

Narrator

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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.

Chapter III Reading 1/22

Washington Irving Charles Dudley Warner

Chapter III

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Washington Irving is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity. Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs. The town fascinated him more than any other in Europe; he notes that the city is rapidly beautifying under the emperor, that the people seem gay and happy, and 'Vive la bagatelle!' is again the burden of their song. His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.” By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

Washington Irving

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Washington Irving is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

/ɪn meɪ ðə ˈwɑːndərər wɑːz ɪn ˈperɪs ənd rɪˈmeɪnd ðer fɔːr mʌnθs ˈstʌdiɪŋ frentʃ ənd ˈfriːkwəntɪŋ ðə ˈθiːətərz wɪð ɪɡˈzempləri ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/

Line 2

Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

Line 3

Line 4

His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

Line 5

By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

/baɪ weɪ ʌv ðə ˈneðərləndz hiː riːtʃt ˈlʌndən ɪn ɑːkˈtoʊbər ənd rɪˈmeɪnd ɪn ˈɪŋɡlənd tɪl ˈdʒænjuːeri/

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.

exemplary adjective US /ɪɡˈzempləri/

worthy of imitation

From this reading “In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.”

fascinated adjective US /ˈfæsəneɪtəd/

having your attention fixated as though by a spell

From this reading “The town fascinated him more than any other in Europe; he notes that the city is rapidly beautifying under the emperor, that the people seem gay and happy, and 'Vive la bagatelle!' is again the burden of their song.”

frequenting verb US /ˈfriːkwəntɪŋ/

-ing form of “frequent” — do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of

From this reading “In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.”

Netherlands noun US /ˈneðərləndz/

a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level

From this reading “By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.”

records noun US /rəˈkɔːrdz/

plural of “record” — anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading “Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.”

regularity noun US /ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/

a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles

From this reading “In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.”

theaters noun US /ˈθiːətərz/

plural of “theater” — a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading “In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.”

wanderer noun US /ˈwɑːndərər/

someone who leads a wandering unsettled life

From this reading “In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

affairsnounUS /əˈferz/

matters of personal concern

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading The town fascinated him more than any other in Europe; he notes that the city is rapidly beautifying under the emperor, that the people seem gay and happy, and 'Vive la bagatelle!' is again the burden of their song.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

bagatellenoun

a light piece of music for piano

beautifying

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

burdennounUS /ˈbɜːrdən/

an onerous or difficult concern

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

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

correspondencenounUS /ˌkɔːrəˈspɑːndəns/

communication by the exchange of letters

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

emperornounUS /ˈempərər/

the male ruler of an empire

EnglandnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlənd/

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

EuropenounUS /ˈjʊrəp/

the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles

excuseverbUS /ɪksˈkjuːs/

accept an excuse for

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

exemplaryadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzempləri/

worthy of imitation

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

fascinatedadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəneɪtəd/

having your attention fixated as though by a spell

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

FrenchnounUS /frentʃ/

the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

frequentingverbUS /ˈfriːkwəntɪŋ/

-ing form of “frequent” — do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

gayadjectiveUS /ɡeɪ/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

lanounUS /lɑː/

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

meagerest

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

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

NetherlandsnounUS /ˈneðərləndz/

a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

notesnounUS /noʊts/

plural of “note” — a brief written record

observationsnounUS /ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃənz/

plural of “observation” — the act of making and recording a measurement

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

the month following September and preceding November

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

OfprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

ParisnounUS /ˈperɪs/

the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

politicaladjectiveUS /pəˈlɪtəkəl/

involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

rapidlyadverbUS /ˈræpədli/

with speed

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

recordsnounUS /rəˈkɔːrdz/

plural of “record” — anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

regularitynounUS /ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/

a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

remissnessnoun

the quality of being lax and neglectful

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

reportsnounUS /rɪˈpɔːrts/

plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

songnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

studyingnounUS /ˈstʌdiɪŋ/

reading carefully with intent to remember

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

theatersnounUS /ˈθiːətərz/

plural of “theater” — a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Of his life in Paris there are only the meagerest reports, and he records no observations upon political affairs.

Vive

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

wanderernounUS /ˈwɑːndərər/

someone who leads a wandering unsettled life

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading By way of the Netherlands he reached London in October, and remained in England till January.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In May the wanderer was in Paris, and remained there four months, studying French and frequenting the theaters with exemplary regularity.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading His excuse for remissness in correspondence was, “I am a young man and in Paris.”

Chapter 3 of Washington Irving by Charles Dudley Warner holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 3 of Washington Irving contain?

Chapter 3 holds 113 sentences of Washington Irving, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Washington Irving by Charles Dudley Warner exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 3 of Washington Irving?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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.

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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.

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Is this the complete text of Washington Irving?

Yes. All 2105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3101 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #3101, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Washington: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Washington Irving; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter III · Chapter 3

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