Chapter 3 of A Blot on the Scutcheon is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Blot on the Scutcheon is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?" Michael nodded. He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was. The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched. Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
Chapter 3 of A Blot on the Scutcheon is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.”
plural of “carol” — joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ
From this reading “Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.”
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading “The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.”
in an idle manner
From this reading “The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Michael nodded.”
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.”
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading “Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.”
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 “Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.”
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 A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
later than; following
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
plural of “answer” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
plural of “carol” — joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
set up or found
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
in an idle manner
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Michael nodded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Michael nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
a male human offspring
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man's hand, resting idly on his knee, clenched and unclenched.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had found that the shorter his answers the better pleased his grandfather was.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Outside the birds were singing carols of love to the roses after the joy of a summer shower.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A TRAITOR'S SON "So you fought Morice Conyers?"
Chapter 3 of A Blot on the Scutcheon by Mabel Winifred Knowles holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of A Blot on the Scutcheon, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Blot on the Scutcheon by Mabel Winifred Knowles exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 A Blot on the Scutcheon by Mabel Winifred Knowles on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4268 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34164 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34164, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 355 minutes of reading across 854 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Blot on the Scutcheon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of A Blot on the Scutcheon 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 A Blot on the Scutcheon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
