Chapter 3 of A Ring of Rubies is here in full — 422 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 A Ring of Rubies is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home." "Oh, I am sorry," I said. "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache." My mother stepped into the hall. "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
Chapter 3 of A Ring of Rubies is here in full — 422 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.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “My mother stepped into the hall.”
something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading “"My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “"Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “"Oh, I am sorry," I said.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “"My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “My mother stepped into the hall.”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “"My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."”
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 “"Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."”
In this reading “My mother stepped into the hall.”
become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
In this reading “"My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."”
In this reading “"My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."”
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 "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Oh, I am sorry," I said.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading My mother stepped into the hall.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading My mother stepped into the hall.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
a small worthless amount
From this reading "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I am sorry," I said.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, I am sorry," I said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Oh, I am sorry," I said.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading My mother stepped into the hall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My mother stepped into the hall.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
precisely as stated
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Mother, Jack has come home with a bad headache."
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading "My headache is worse," he replied, "I could not stay in town, so I came home."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are looking very ill indeed," she exclaimed.
Chapter 3 of A Ring of Rubies by L. T. Meade holds 422 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 422 sentences of A Ring of Rubies, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Ring of Rubies by L. T. Meade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 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 A Ring of Rubies by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4175 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43143 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43143, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Ring of Rubies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Ring of Rubies 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 Ring of Rubies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
