Chapter 3 of Washington Square Plays is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Washington Square Plays is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MARY. I knocked the dipper off the table. It scared me. SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table]. Well, don't drop our breakfast.
Chapter 3 of Washington Square Plays is here in full — 303 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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 low-lying region in central France
From this reading “SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].”
a ladle that has a cup with a long handle
From this reading “I knocked the dipper off the table.”
let fall to the ground
From this reading “Well, don't drop our breakfast.”
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading “SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “I knocked the dipper off the table.”
made afraid
From this reading “It scared me.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].”
in a weary manner
From this reading “SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Well, don't drop our breakfast.
a low-lying region in central France
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
a ladle that has a cup with a long handle
From this reading I knocked the dipper off the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, don't drop our breakfast.
let fall to the ground
From this reading Well, don't drop our breakfast.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I knocked the dipper off the table.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It scared me.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading I knocked the dipper off the table.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading MARY.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It scared me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I knocked the dipper off the table.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Well, don't drop our breakfast.
made afraid
From this reading It scared me.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading I knocked the dipper off the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I knocked the dipper off the table.
in a weary manner
From this reading SERGEANT [dropping wearily into chair at left of centre table].
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, don't drop our breakfast.
Chapter 3 of Washington Square Plays by Lewis Beach holds 303 sentences, grouped into 61 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.
Chapter 3 holds 303 sentences of Washington Square Plays, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Washington Square Plays by Lewis Beach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 303 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 Washington Square Plays by Lewis Beach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2116 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3068 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3068, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 176 minutes of reading across 424 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Washington Square Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Washington Square Plays 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 Washington Square Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
