Chapter 3 of What's-His-Name is here in full — 409 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 What's-His-Name is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him. Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature. It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began. The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
Chapter 3 of What's-His-Name is here in full — 409 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.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.”
acute contagious infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae; marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathing
From this reading “It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.”
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
From this reading “Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.”
a sound defeat
From this reading “The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.”
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading “Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.”
-ing form of “whimper” — cry weakly or softly
From this reading “The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.”
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 Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
acute contagious infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae; marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathing
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
being one more than seven
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
set up or found
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
a young female
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
and nothing more
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
a woman who is the custodian of children
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
according to the clock
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
precisely, exactly
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
From this reading Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
a sound defeat
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading Phoebe had a "dreadful throat" and a high temperature.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
precisely as stated
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading FAIRFAX He found the nursemaid up and waiting for him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It had come on very suddenly, it seems, and if Annie's memory served her right it was just the way diphtheria began.
-ing form of “whimper” — cry weakly or softly
From this reading The little girl had been thrashing about in the bed and whimpering for "daddy" since eight o'clock.
Chapter 3 of What's-His-Name by George Barr McCutcheon holds 409 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 409 sentences of What's-His-Name, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of What's-His-Name by George Barr McCutcheon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 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 What's-His-Name by George Barr McCutcheon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3596 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28512, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 299 minutes of reading across 720 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through What's-His-Name section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of What's-His-Name 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 What's-His-Name, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
