Chapter 3 of A Group of Noble Dames is here in full — 157 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 Group of Noble Dames is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step. Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one. She saw the outlines of trouble in the future. Why had Dornell interfered? Why had he insisted upon producing his man?
Chapter 3 of A Group of Noble Dames is here in full — 157 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.
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading “Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.”
past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading “Why had Dornell interfered?”
in an original manner
From this reading “Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.”
plural of “outline” — the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading “She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.”
-ing form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading “Why had he insisted upon producing his man?”
relating to or concerned with strategy
From this reading “For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.”
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading “Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.”
well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force
From this reading “Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.”
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 Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
a young person of either sex
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
yet to be or coming
From this reading She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why had he insisted upon producing his man?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading Why had he insisted upon producing his man?
past form of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading Why had Dornell interfered?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
engage in
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Why had he insisted upon producing his man?
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
in an original manner
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
plural of “outline” — the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.
-ing form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading Why had he insisted upon producing his man?
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
relating to or concerned with strategy
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
a source of difficulty
From this reading She saw the outlines of trouble in the future.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Why had he insisted upon producing his man?
well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her husband had, as it were, been assisted by destiny to make his objection, originally trivial, a valid one.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why had Dornell interfered?
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading For the first time since her strategic marriage of the child, Susan Dornell doubted the wisdom of that step.
Chapter 3 of A Group of Noble Dames by Thomas Hardy holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 157 sentences of A Group of Noble Dames, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Group of Noble Dames by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 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.
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Yes. All 3055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3049 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3049, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Group of Noble Dames section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Group of Noble Dames 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 Group of Noble Dames, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
