Chapter 3 of Whilomville Stories is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Whilomville Stories is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly. "What?" "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic." "Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly. Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
Chapter 3 of Whilomville Stories is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.”
in an audible manner
From this reading “"Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.”
prepare a hot meal
From this reading “"Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.”
command against
From this reading “Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.”
with relatively high volume
From this reading “"Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.”
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading “Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.”
a day devoted to an outdoor social gathering
From this reading “"Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.”
plural of “projector” — an optical device for projecting a beam of light
From this reading “Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.”
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.
be shown or be found to be
In this reading “Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.”
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 "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
in an audible manner
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading "Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
command against
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
with relatively high volume
From this reading "Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
a day devoted to an outdoor social gathering
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
plural of “projector” — an optical device for projecting a beam of light
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
express a supposition
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Now--they're goin' to have a picnic," he said, half audibly.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's goin' to have a picnic?" demanded the cook, loudly.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Her accent could have led one to suppose that if the projectors did not turn out to be the proper parties, she immediately would forbid this picnic.
Chapter 3 of Whilomville Stories by Stephen Crane holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of Whilomville Stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Whilomville Stories by Stephen Crane exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Whilomville Stories by Stephen Crane on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2964 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 593 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whilomville Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Whilomville 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 Whilomville Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
